Chapter 18 She didn't want to become strange again because of Xiao Che...

The restlessness and cravings she had felt earlier had vanished without her noticing. Yan Jiarou shook her head, realizing she had returned to normal, though her head was still a little dizzy and throbbing. She looked at Xiao Jue in front of her and slowly blinked, "Crown Prince, what are you... doing here?"

"I went to Chenghuan Palace to look for you. Yingxue said you were here." He glanced at her thoughtfully, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Chenghuan Palace is quite a distance from here. Why would you be here all of a sudden?"

"I……"

Xiao Jue smiled as always, his smile always making her feel like she was basking in a gentle breeze: "You've come to see your third brother, haven't you?"

“I…his mother passed away, and I haven’t seen him come out for so many days. I’m worried something might have happened to him…” At this point, she quickly looked up at Xiao Jue and hurriedly explained, “Although we’ve never gotten along, he is, after all, my nominal elder brother…I…”

“Jiarou is kind-hearted. She even cares for her third brother, whom she has always disliked. Shouldn’t she also care for me?”

Dislike? Xiao Che can be annoying at times... but she doesn't dislike him...

As for showing concern for Xiao Jue, Yan Jiarou blinked blankly: "Crown Prince, what's wrong with you?"

Xiao Jue glanced at her: "You only know that the Imperial Concubine passed away and your third brother was saddened, but do you know that with Father Emperor's personality, someone had to pay the price for the Imperial Concubine's death? My mother was the first to be implicated and became the one who was buried with her. She has now been deposed and imprisoned in the Cold Palace—all for a fabricated crime."

"But Father Emperor didn't actually have any evidence at all. He just wanted to find someone to be buried with the Consort! Ha, the Consort's life is a life, but isn't my mother's life also a life?"

Yan Jiarou's gaze also turned worried, and she sighed softly, saying, "I've heard about the Empress's matter. Fortunately, His Majesty only deposed her, and didn't... I think given time, once His Majesty's anger subsides, he will release her. After all, the death of the Consort cannot be directly attributed to the Empress..."

"Ha, with the new empress now in power, where can the deposed empress find refuge? Even clinging to life is a luxury. Recently, palace servants have been gossiping that since my mother moved into the Cold Palace, agonizing screams have frequently echoed from there, so heart-wrenching they are truly frightening… Yet, my father forbids anyone from visiting her…"

"How could this be? Perhaps those cries weren't made by the Empress. Crown Prince, don't worry too much. His Majesty has always been kind to me. Otherwise, next time I see him, I'll try to plead for your mother..."

“No need,” Xiao Jue’s expression softened instantly when he looked at Yan Jiarou, his initial resentment when mentioning Cui’s downfall due to Jiang Chenyu. “To avoid him taking his anger out on you. Jiarou, his obsession with Consort Jiang is beyond our comprehension; it has reached an incurable level…”

He snorted coldly, his expression full of disdain: "That's why the Lanling clan is known for their ability to bewitch people. They are the most despicable of all, only knowing how to use their looks and some low-class skills. I think Father Emperor would do anything for the Jiang family."

"The Jiang family is his Achilles' heel, so you must not plead for my mother and offend him. The reason he treats you so well is only because your parents saved the Jiang family's life years ago. He is grateful for your parents' kindness and that is why he treats you so favorably."

"Now that Jiang is gone, it's hard to guarantee that his affection for you won't disappear as well. Even his affection for Xiao Che is just a case of loving the house because of the house. It's just that with Jiang's death, the blame was placed on my mother. My father feels guilty and will probably only favor Xiao Che even more. Jiang really made a good move. It's also my father's fault for being bewitched by her. Ha, the Lanling clan is truly a scourge to the country."

Yan Jiarou frowned slightly, disagreeing with Xiao Jue's words: "The claim that they bewitch people is mostly just a rumor. It's only because the Lanling clan is so beautiful that people are captivated and lose their senses, that people say they bewitch people..."

Xiao Jue glanced at her: "Jiarou, it's common knowledge that the Lanling clan is skilled at bewitching, so why do you deny it? Also, I must remind you, my third brother has half Lanling blood in him. Like mother, like son, so be careful not to be bewitched by him..."

Yan Jiarou was taken aback. Recalling her unusual behavior towards him recently, she felt as if she were under a spell, unable to control her attraction to him. For some reason, she felt a little guilty and stammered, "I... how could I... I've always been at odds with him... I hate him too much to ask, how could I be bewitched by him?"

“Yes,” Xiao Jueshen looked at her intently, as if trying to see right through her: “Jiarou clearly likes me, doesn’t she?”

Yan Jiarou's mind was in a mess, and without thinking, she replied, "Of...of course, all these years, the person I've loved is still you, my Crown Prince brother..."

It was both an answer to him and a warning to himself.

She must have liked Xiao Jue. When she was a child, Xiao Jue risked his life to save her with all his might. Even after so many years, the hands that were desperately trying to lift her up when she was drowning were like a ray of light in a desperate situation. The palms were pressed tightly against her back, and the touch was still clear and tangible.

She started liking him from that time, and has liked him for so many years that it has almost become a habit.

How can a person's habits be easily changed?

Hearing her affirmative reply again, Xiao Jue slowly smiled: "I knew it. Even if everyone else is bewitched by Xiao Che, you won't. You will always choose me and stay by my side forever."

“However, I think I just saw from afar that my third brother hugged you,” he raised an eyebrow, observing her reaction out of the corner of his eye. “That’s strange. Aren’t you two always at odds? How could he possibly hug you?”

"I..." Yan Jiarou's head was spinning before, and she couldn't tell whether Xiao Che had hugged her or not. It was just that she herself seemed to be clinging to him and refusing to let go... She didn't expect to be caught by Xiao Jue on the spot. Now how should she explain herself... no, how should she explain it?

In her memory, Xiao Che seemed to have said something about treating her as his imperial sister, something about treating her as his imperial sister from now on. So, she quickly made up a story. People's minds are always sharper when they are particularly nervous: "Xiao Che said that he would treat her as his proper imperial sister from now on, and that he would make peace with her. That hug was a brother's hug for his sister."

This statement was a mix of truth and falsehood, so it wasn't exactly a lie. Therefore, when Yan Jiarou met Xiao Jue's scrutinizing gaze, her expression remained quite composed.

Xiao Jue stared at her for a moment, his expression relaxing, and suddenly laughed, "That's good, from now on you won't have to worry about him teasing you anymore."

“But,” he looked at her, his smile deepening, “you are his sister, but you are also my sister. If he can hug you, I can hug you too. You just hugged him, Jia Rou, isn’t that favoring one over the other? Shouldn’t you hug me too?”

"Huh? I..." Yan Jiarou looked at him blankly, not reacting for a moment. But hugging Xiao Jue was not a difficult thing. She would marry him sooner or later, so what was a little hug? Besides, it wasn't like she had never hugged him before.

She immediately smiled sweetly and replied, "Okay." She opened her arms and threw herself into his embrace.

Xiao Jue also hugged her tightly in return.

Resting his chin on the top of her head, Xiao Jue closed his eyes deeply and sighed, "Jiarou, you are alone, you will always be alone."

You can only belong to loneliness forever.

Xiao Jue hugged her so tightly that she couldn't breathe for a moment, but aside from that, hugging Xiao Jue was still very comfortable.

Yes, it felt comfortable. She didn't mind such intimate gestures with Xiao Jue, and she didn't feel anything unusual about them. It was as natural as if she hadn't hugged Xiao Jue at all.

But when facing Xiao Che, it was a completely different story.

As soon as she got close to him, she felt her breathing quicken, her heart race, and she could even feel the heat rising rapidly on her face.

Sometimes, he would just give her a casual smile, and her mind would go blank. Everything around her seemed to become silent, and she could only hear her own heartbeat getting faster and faster.

Later, he realized that this was just the prelude to his prank, and he felt deceived and became very angry.

She didn't know why she was angry; perhaps she was angry at her own stupidity and Xiao Che's wickedness.

These symptoms existed before the trip to Mount Li, but they became increasingly strange after the wild fox bit me on Mount Li.

She began to develop an inhuman desire and addiction for Xiao Che.

Fortunately, this only happens when it occurs; otherwise, there are no abnormalities.

As for when it would flare up, she guessed it only happened when she was in close contact with Xiao Che. Otherwise, it had been quite some time since she returned from Lishan, and she had been fine until today when she met Xiao Che... Before this, she had thought that her illness was cured.

She didn't want to have another outburst. She was afraid that her secret would be discovered, and how Xiao Che would look at her then? How should she face Xiao Jue?

According to her observation, the best way to prevent the attacks from recurring now seems to be to avoid any close contact with him.

She recalled what Xiao Che had told her not long ago, that he would treat her no differently than other young ladies from noble families.

Although she couldn't quite describe her feelings at the time as either happy or strange, she felt fortunate at this moment—Xiao Che never gave other women a second glance, let alone had close contact with them. If he treated her the same way, then she should theoretically not have another episode.

She thought she would soon be fully recovered and able to be with Xiao Jue again, just like before.

There's nothing wrong with being close to Xiao Jue; at least it feels natural, and I never feel nervous.

She didn't want to become strange because of Xiao Che anymore.

That feeling of being out of control made her uneasy.