Chapter 8: Thunderstorm

Xin Hongying was infected by her bright mood and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.

In the silent study, the emperor's sexy and mellow laughter rang out, echoing in the room, and Shen Tingyu felt half of his body numb when he heard it.

Gao Tang smiled silently with his head down, and gave a clever look to dismiss the other palace servants who were serving him in the hall.

He had never seen His Majesty laugh so happily.

He was even more surprised, and at the same time confirmed that the National Master was a special existence to His Majesty. He felt a little relieved and couldn't help but pay more attention to the National Master.

"Did you pick these fruits specially for me?" Xin Hongying stretched out her slender fingers and took the bunch of unusually bright red small wild fruits from her hand.

Shen Tingyu was soaked by the rain, and her body felt heavy. She nodded and said, "I need to warm myself by the fire. My body is too heavy."

The emperor waved his hand, and a hollow stove filled with incense was carried in. The moist air was filled with a faint fragrance.

She opened her hands and sat in front of the stove, looking at the blazing flames from a distance, her body feeling warm and comfortable.

"I've never seen this fruit before. What's its name?" Xin Hongying asked curiously while pinching the red fruit with two fingers.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, turned around, and sat on her back to warm herself against the damp air. "I don't know, but it must be wild fruit. I saw the children in the mountains picking and eating them. They were so familiar with them that they almost ate all the fruit in the field, so I followed suit. It must be harmless."

After the palace maid who was in charge of testing poison had tasted the fruit, Xin Hongying picked up the fruit and tasted it carefully while Shen Tingyu looked expectant but a little disappointed.

Shen Tingyu stared at his mouth, pursed his lips, and was inexplicably nervous: "Is it delicious? What does it taste like?"

It was refreshing with a hint of sweetness, quite delicious, but the fruit was so small that the subtle sweetness disappeared before it could even linger on the tongue. Xin Hongying nodded, "It's okay."

"That's all..." Shen Tingyu felt a little disappointed. When she saw the children scrambling to pick the fruits, she also became greedy. If she could eat it, she would have enjoyed it all by herself.

She could only comfort herself that wild fruits were sour and astringent, so it was better not to eat them.

Xin Hongying's eyes flickered slightly. "The Imperial Master is not at the Stargazing Pavilion. Why is he visiting so late at night?"

Shen Tingyu put one hand on his waist, changed his posture, and said confidently: "Did your majesty forget the agreement between you and this fairy?"

"This fairy needs to stay by your majesty's side to train! The little dragon energy I had yesterday can only allow me to maintain my human body for a short time."

She said a little frustratedly: "This is not... This fairy's magic power is unstable, and I have turned into a rag doll again."

Xin Hongying: "..."

That night, the fine and continuous rain suddenly became heavier, and there was a feeling that a storm was about to come. It was late at night and everyone was sleeping, and the only sound was the sound of wind and rain knocking on the window frames.

Xin Hongying lay on the large dragon bed with his eyes open, his face completely free of sleepiness. He turned and looked at the soft couch where Shen Tingyu was sleeping peacefully, his eyes dim and unclear.

He waited for almost a whole night, but there was no movement from the couch, as if the person was fast asleep.

Logically speaking, tonight is the best time to take action against him. If there is indeed someone manipulating her, he will definitely be taken action against tonight.

The palm-sized rag doll rested its head on the sparrow, motionless, and the quilt on her was kicked away ruthlessly, which obviously did not seem to be premeditated.

Just as he was about to look away, a deafening thunder exploded, and the heaven and earth trembled.

"ah!"

The rag doll on the couch suddenly woke up, she sat up on the couch, her small body trembling slightly.

On a stormy night, Shen Tingyu looked out the window with a little panic. She was most afraid of thunder. She didn't expect that even after traveling back to ancient times and changing her body, she would still be awakened by thunder in her sleep. She laughed at herself.

There seemed to be invisible moisture in the air, and she felt her body become heavier. The coldness invaded her limbs. She picked up the quilt at her feet and wrapped herself and Da Que'er tightly together, eagerly seeking a little warmth and a sense of security.

The big bird had no intelligence and did not move, just sleeping.

She hugged herself uncomfortably, a feeling of loneliness welling up in her heart, and endless sadness spread in her heart.

In the dark night, Shen Tingyu raised his hands to cover his ears, covered his head with the quilt, curled up into a ball, shivered, and quietly waited for the thunder to stop and dissipate.

After confirming that there was no one behind her and that nothing would happen to her tonight, Xin Hongying closed her eyes and fell asleep. Not wanting to meddle in other people's business, she pretended that she had seen nothing and prepared to go to sleep.

Closing his eyes, the images in his mind became clearer and clearer. They were all the subtle movements of Chen Tingyu hiding behind him that day, with a little expression like a frightened cat, pulling his ink-colored sleeve affectionately, and hiding behind him to seek shelter.

Xin Hongying: "..."

He frowned slightly, and his eyes became even colder in the dark night, sharp as a sword drawn from its sheath. He was visibly irritable, but he had the rare patience to stand up and pretend to be awakened by a thunderstorm.

I walked barefoot to the couch, and sure enough, I looked down and saw a small dot hiding in the quilt, shivering, as if it was extremely scared.

Lei Ming, is she afraid of the thunder that will bring her tribulation?

Having a concrete feeling of her identity, Xin Hongying began to believe in her identity as a fairy for the first time.

Shen Tingyu hugged herself with her arms out of habit, and suddenly a warm current flowed through the quilt, dispelling the biting cold. She wrapped herself tightly, lifted a corner, and only revealed a pair of eyes.

The warming stove was moved to her side, and the heat came from the stove. She glanced around, and her sad eyes unexpectedly met the tyrant's cold eyes.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"

Shen Tingyu tilted his head, thinking blankly: “Could it be…are you afraid of thunder too?”

"It's just a small thunderbolt. How could I be afraid of it?"

Xin Hongying had long been known as a tyrant, and others had always been afraid of him. He had never comforted anyone before. He looked slightly uneasy, and his voice softened, "Are you... still cold?"

Yes, how could a tyrant be afraid of thunder? She was confused.

But, the tyrant cares about her?!

There were lightning and thunder outside the window, a fire inside the window dispelled the cold, and stars illuminated the night. The seemingly cold and fierce tyrant accompanied her silently, and there seemed to be a warm current flowing in her heart.

No longer afraid, Shen Tingyu raised his head slightly, poked out a small head from under the quilt, and smiled: "I'm much better now."

Her small body stopped trembling.

"I am the Son of Heaven, and this is the imperial palace. With me by your side, the thunder from heaven cannot harm you, and you don't need to be afraid." Xin Hongying couldn't help but stretch out her finger and lightly tap the protruding head.

cute!

The light of lightning illuminated the tyrant's deep eyebrows. Shen Tingyu was in a trance for a moment, and the memories deep in her mind were dug out. She looked up blankly and let him stroke her head.

She suppressed the bitterness in her heart and clenched the quilt in her hands. She wanted to say something, but she opened her mouth and nothing came out.

The darkest memories flooded back, and she seemed to be transported back to the past, back to the night many years ago that had caused her to collapse.