Gu Zhixing released her, and the two of them separated a little. His eyes were filled with a hint of annoyance and self-blame: "I'm not angry with you, I'm angry with myself."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and said, "I want you to open up to me. If you have any problems, just tell me directly. I don't want you to hide anything from me."

"You can even hit me if you're unhappy, just don't hide it from me, okay?"

His tone carried a hint of pleading, as if he were trying to make amends for his earlier impulsiveness.

Shen Jintang looked up at Gu Zhixing, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Why were his sentences so disjointed and incoherent? She had no idea what Gu Zhixing was talking about.

Gu Zhixing pursed his lips slightly, then made up his mind and said, "I saw you on the long street."

His voice was deep and earnest, his eyes fixed on hers as he said very seriously, "I hugged that woman out of necessity. I really have nothing to do with her. The only person I've ever loved is you."

"I came here today to apologize and explain this matter. But I don't know what came over me, I just wanted to see how you would handle it."

He shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness and self-reproach: "I'm really crazy. I actually tortured you and myself in this way, and almost made the misunderstanding worse."

Shen Jintang remained silent for a moment, her eyes flickering slightly.

She knew he was referring to the scene on the long street; it was a misunderstanding.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Gu Zhixing leaned closer, his eyes gentle yet firm: "Are you really angry with me?"

Shen Jintang lowered her eyes slightly, her fingers gently twisting the hem of her clothes, as if she was thinking about something.

"Don't be angry with me. This was all a misunderstanding. I'll tell you after I've sorted it out, okay?"

He didn't mean to keep it from Shen Jintang; it was just that Shen Jintang had been too busy lately, and telling her about this would only cause her more worry. It was better for him to handle it first and then tell her.

"If you're ever angry with me in the future, just tell me, okay? If you really can't, you can slap me a couple of times to vent your anger."

As he spoke, Gu Zhixing tried to grab Shen Jintang's hand and slap it across his face.

Shen Jintang snapped out of her daze and pulled her hand away from Gu Zhixing's.

Gu Zhixing froze in mid-air, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. Looking at Shen Jintang's silence, his heart sank.

Oh no, I've really angered Shen Jintang this time.

In the past, no matter how much trouble she caused, she would at most give her a cold look; she had never been so silent before.

He subconsciously reflected on his behavior.

He came here today to apologize, and even prepared a gift, but he acted impulsively and insisted on forcing Shen Jintang to open up, which resulted in this mess.

He sighed and cursed himself inwardly.

It's okay not to open up yet; we can learn about it gradually later. Why rush things?

Can you say something to me?

Gu Zhixing asked cautiously, his voice carrying a hint of pleading.

A suffocating silence filled the air, with only the snowflakes falling silently and making a soft "ee-yah" sound as they pressed against the branches.

Time passed quietly, and Gu Zhixing felt increasingly uneasy; he could even hear his own heartbeat.

Finally, Shen Jintang broke the silence.

She raised her head, her eyes calm yet carrying a hint of detachment: "I'm not angry with you."

Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself, or as if she were comforting him.

Gu Zhixing's heart skipped a beat, his eyes lit up instantly, and he asked incredulously, "Really?"

His voice carried a hint of urgency, as if he were afraid she would change her mind again.

Shen Jintang nodded slightly, but then her tone turned somewhat cold: "Your Highness is very sincere, but I am not."

She paused, looked directly into Gu Zhixing's eyes, and continued, "I know you've figured it out. I have many secrets, and I really can't tell you."

Her voice was calm but tired.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Gu Zhixing's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He was about to say "I don't care" when Shen Jintang raised her hand to interrupt him: "Let me finish."

Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

A bad feeling suddenly welled up in Gu Zhixing's heart, but he still obediently shut his mouth and waited for her to continue.

"I know you want sincerity in return, but I can't open my heart to you like that."

“I know you want to say that everything that happened on the long street today was a misunderstanding and that it will never happen again, but the problem between us is not the long street incident. It was just a trigger.”

“Even if this hadn’t happened, something else would have. Our problems would have surfaced eventually, so it’s good that we discovered them early and it’s not too late to resolve them now.”

"How do you plan to solve this?"

Gu Zhixing seemed to have guessed what Shen Jintang wanted to say, but he still asked persistently.

Shen Jintang looked up at him, her eyes calm and firm: "Let's break it off, let's pretend that none of this ever happened."

Her voice was soft, yet resolute, as she continued, "From now on, you will still be your prince, and I will only be a servant. From now on, we will have no relationship whatsoever, so that neither of us will have to suffer anymore."

Hearing Shen Jintang say this, Gu Zhixing was so angry that he laughed and said, "You're not solving the problem, you're solving me."

“But at least this matter has been completely resolved, and it won’t happen again in the future, right?” Shen Jintang didn’t think there was anything wrong with this approach.

She has chosen a dead end; she will eventually drag all her enemies down to hell with her.

Of course, that includes herself as well.

He should have died six months ago; he's lived this long enough.

On the path of gradually heading towards death, there is no need to burden another person.

She hadn't thought it through, or rather, she had never considered what would happen to Gu Zhixing after she died.

But today she discovered that Gu Zhixing could influence her thoughts, which was a terrifying thing, something she would never allow to happen to her.

Moreover, Gu Zhixing was still so sincere towards her, and she couldn't bear to continue lying to him.

It would be better to cut your losses in time and let him get out of this doomed relationship as soon as possible.

Shen Jintang lowered her eyes slightly, her voice tinged with weariness: "This is better for both of us. You don't have to worry about me anymore, and I don't have to owe you anything anymore."