Chapter 198

Su Zhelan forced herself to calm down and began to carefully recall every detail of her recent interactions with Xiao Qiyun.

Yes, when he returned that time, Xiao Qiyun's eyes were deeper than ever, and the strength of his embrace carried an unusual intensity, as if he wanted to meld him into his very bones. And there was the red string on his wrist that Xiao Qiyun had been caressing for so long... At the time, I only thought it was affection, but now, thinking back, did that silence already conceal a resolute premonition?

But why? Why was it a "voluntary" abdication? Su Zhelan's thoughts uncontrollably slid into darker speculations: Did the Second Prince secretly use some underhanded means? What shady methods did he use to force Xiao Qiyun? The thought that Xiao Qiyun might be in danger, bearing immense pressure and even peril alone, made Su Zhelan's heart clench. A sharp panic gripped him, more suffocating than the news of the abdication itself.

He abruptly stood up and paced anxiously around the room. He wanted to know immediately if Xiao Qiyun was alright, and he wanted to ask him in person what had happened. But... how could he ask? How could he even begin to ask?

Only now did Su Zhelan realize her powerlessness with perfect clarity. Xiao Qiyun always appeared silently when he came to see him, either by sending well-trained bodyguards or by having someone come to "invite" him.

He had never proactively given Su Zhelan any way to contact him. And what about himself? A commoner, living under someone else's roof, without official position, wealth, or power, he had almost no foothold in this vast capital city. To even see the man who was now Prince Chen was so difficult, as if separated by an insurmountable chasm.

This realization, like a cold tide, instantly overwhelmed him. He slumped back into his chair, a deep, shameful sense of powerlessness washing over him.

It turns out that in the face of real power and turmoil, he was so insignificant that even the most basic concern and confirmation seemed so luxurious and ridiculous.

Immediately, a strange anger surged within him. He was angry at Xiao Qiyun's concealment. Why hadn't he revealed a single word about such a crucial matter? Did he think he was useless and would only cause trouble? Did he believe he was too fragile to bear the truth? Or... did he simply not consider him someone he could face the storms of life with? He may be powerless and without influence, but he also possessed his own keen insight and persistence. He could... he could also try to do something, even if it was just quietly staying by his side!

Various thoughts—worry, fear, inferiority, anger—were intertwined like a tangled mess, tearing at Su Zhelan's heart.

He sat there blankly, from afternoon to dusk, and then until night fell completely. Outside the window, it was pitch black, and his heart seemed to sink into endless darkness, unable to find its way.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Three familiar, slightly casual knocks interrupted Su Zhelan's chaotic thoughts. It was Sheng Xuan; he would appear precisely at this time every day.

Su Zhelan almost stumbled to the door and flung it open. Outside, Sheng Xuan was still wearing his Imperial Guard light armor, his face bearing his usual slightly cynical smile.

But Su Zhelan couldn't care less about any of that at the moment. He grabbed Sheng Xuan's arm, his fingers trembling slightly from the force, and his voice trembled uncontrollably:

"Xiao Qiyun... how is he? Why... why is this happening? Has something happened? Is he in danger?!" A barrage of questions rained down on Sheng Xuan like beans spilling from a bamboo tube. Su Zhelan's eyes were slightly red from anxiety and her previous wild thoughts.

Sheng Xuan's smile froze instantly, clearly not expecting Su Zhelan to already know. He paused for a moment before reacting, then reached out and grasped Su Zhelan's cold fingers, trying to calm him down: "Uh...you...you know everything?" His tone was hesitant, tinged with caution.

"Tell me first, is he safe and sound?!" Su Zhelan asked urgently, her gaze fixed on Sheng Xuan's face, not missing a single change in expression.

Seeing his agitation, Sheng Xuan quickly reassured him, "It's alright! He's fine! Don't scare yourself. He's doing well, it's just... he's a bit busy right now. I reckon he'll be able to come find you after he finishes dealing with some loose ends." He tried to keep his tone light and downplay the seriousness of the situation.

Hearing Sheng Xuan confirm that Xiao Qiyun was safe and sound, Su Zhelan's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, as if all his strength had been drained away. He swayed and only managed to stand steadily with Sheng Xuan's support. But immediately afterward, another emotion surged up. He looked up at Sheng Xuan, his eyes filled with grievance and questioning:

"You...you knew all along, didn't you? Why did you keep it from me? You didn't tell me a single word!" His voice was choked with sobs. "Did you think I was useless? That I couldn't help, that I was...a burden?" He spoke the last two words very softly, but they were filled with deep self-mockery and hurt.

Sheng Xuan sensed the complex emotions emanating from Su Zhelan—a mixture of worry, grievance, and anger—and knew something was wrong.

He acted decisively, abandoning all his joking expression, and placed his hands on Su Zhelan's shoulders, pressing him down onto the stool beside him. He then squatted down, looking up at him with an unprecedented seriousness and gentleness in his voice:

"Nonsense! Who said that?" He interrupted Su Zhelan's self-deprecation. "He kept it from you because... because that guy didn't want you to worry, and wanted to wait until everything settled down and things calmed down before telling you. That bastard, he just likes to shoulder everything himself, you know his temper!"

He sighed and continued to explain, "This matter involves too many people, the fewer people who know, the better, especially you. He wants to keep you hidden away as much as possible, how could he bear to let you get involved in this mess? It's not that he doesn't trust you, it's that he cares about you too much, understand?"

Sheng Xuan explained clumsily but sincerely, observing Su Zhelan's expression. Seeing that his eyes were still red, but his emotions seemed to have calmed down a bit, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that if he didn't appease this person properly today, he might really get stuck on this stubborn idea.

She cursed Xiao Qiyun inwardly, for he had caused all this trouble and she had to appease him. But her movements remained gentle as she patted Su Zhelan's back and continued to coax her until Su Zhelan's agitated breathing gradually calmed down. Although she remained silent, her sharp anger seemed to have been temporarily suppressed.

Seeing that Su Zhelan's emotions seemed to have been temporarily calmed down, Sheng Xuan felt a little relieved. However, looking at Su Zhelan's still dazed and lost in thought, with a hint of sorrow between her brows, an inexplicable pang of sadness quietly welled up inside her. She had gone to such lengths to coax and persuade her, but all she could think about was that guy who was busy somewhere somewhere right now.

He pursed his lips, a hint of resentment and jealousy in his expression. He stretched out his arm and pulled Su Zhelan into his embrace, nuzzling his chin affectionately against her neck, trying to draw her attention back with intimate physical contact: "Alright, alright, stop thinking about it. She said she's fine and will be here in a few days. I'm right here, and you, on the other hand, don't even glance at me?"

Su Zhelan stiffened slightly as he held her, but her mind was still preoccupied with Xiao Qiyun's matter. She seemed somewhat absent-minded in the face of Sheng Xuan's complaints and intimacy, only giving a vague "hmm" while her gaze remained unfocused, fixed on a certain spot in the void.

Seeing him like this, Sheng Xuan felt a surge of anger well up inside her. She was right in front of him, with a beautiful woman in her arms, yet he was still grieving for someone else? This was an utter insult!

Jealousy mixed with a hint of wicked desire to conquer, Sheng Xuan's eyes darkened, and the arm around Su Zhelan's waist suddenly tightened, while his other hand began to wander. His hand, which had been resting properly on Su Zhelan's back, began to slowly slide down, its burning heat lingering and kneading intimately along her slender and supple waistline through the thin fabric.

"Hiss..." Su Zhelan was startled back to her senses by the sudden, clearly suggestive kneading on her waist. She instinctively shrank back, trying to avoid the mischievous hand. "You... stop it..."

"Making a scene?" Sheng Xuan chuckled, not only failing to restrain himself but intensifying his antics. He lowered his head, his warm lips deliberately brushing against Su Zhelan's sensitive earlobe, his hot breath spraying onto it, causing Su Zhelan to shudder slightly.

At the same time, that restless hand went even further, reaching under the hem of her clothes, its slightly calloused fingertips directly touching her delicate, warm skin, slowly caressing upwards along the grooves of her spine.

"I'm right in front of you, and you're only thinking about others?" Sheng Xuan's voice was hoarse, filled with intense jealousy and an undeniable force. "It seems I haven't been trying hard enough, which is why you still have the mind to think about other things..."

"Ugh...!" Su Zhelan was caught off guard by his sudden advances. The sensation of their skin touching sent a shiver down his spine. He hurriedly tried to push away Sheng Xuan's chest with his hands, his face flushing with embarrassment. "Sheng Xuan! No... not now... I..."

Before the words of protest could be fully uttered, Sheng Xuan suddenly lowered his head, precisely capturing his slightly parted lips and silencing the remaining syllables.

The kiss was forceful and punitive, urgent and deep, as if it wanted to rob Su Zhelan of all the air in his lungs and completely dispel the lingering image in his mind. Sheng Xuan's arms tightened around Su Zhelan's waist like iron clamps, while his other hand firmly supported the back of his neck, giving him no room to retreat.

Su Zhelan initially resisted stiffly, but the dizziness from lack of oxygen and the domineering breath between his lips gradually eroded his strength.

The hand that had been pushing her away softened and rested weakly on Shengxuan's shoulder. Their rapid breaths mingled together, and their soft sobs were swallowed up by the sticky sound of water.

He was forced to tilt his head back, enduring the kiss tinged with jealousy and possessiveness. His consciousness gradually blurred, and his chaotic worries seemed to be briefly pushed into a corner.

After an unknown amount of time, just when Su Zhelan felt like he was about to suffocate, Sheng Xuan released him without warning.

Their lips parted, leaving a trail of ambiguous saliva. Su Zhelan gasped for breath, her eyelashes trembling wetly, her cheeks flushed, her eyes filled with a bewilderment from the sudden assault and a lingering stirring of passion.

Sheng Xuan's breathing was also a little disordered, but when he saw Su Zhelan, who was dizzy from his kisses and had temporarily forgotten her troubles, the jealousy and malice in his eyes finally dissipated a little, replaced by a triumphant and tender look with a touch of pity.

He didn't make any further moves, but simply gently brushed Su Zhelan's swollen lips with his fingertips, his voice low and husky, but without the previous domineering tone:

"Alright... are you back to your senses?" He leaned closer, his forehead touching Su Zhelan's, his nose brushing against his. "Stop thinking about all that nonsense, okay? Trust me, he's fine. He'll be back to you in a few days, all lively and energetic. Now... look at me."

Su Zhelan's rapid breathing gradually calmed down, and her gaze refocused on Sheng Xuan's face, which was so close to hers. Seeing the familiar, slightly roguish yet incredibly earnest concern in his eyes, the taut string in Su Zhelan's heart suddenly relaxed.

He understood that Sheng Xuan's actions just now were less about desire and more about a clumsy attempt to pull him out of his anxiety vortex.

He lowered his eyelashes and softly hummed in agreement. This time, it wasn't a perfunctory response, but rather a tone of compromise and slight weariness. He gently rested his forehead on Sheng Xuan's shoulder and whispered, "I know... I don't want to think about it anymore."

Sensing Su Zhelan's softening and calmness, Sheng Xuan hugged him tightly with satisfaction, patted his back gently in a comforting manner, and said no more.

Inside the room, only the gradually synchronized, steady breathing of the two people remained, along with the faint chirping of insects outside the window.

Seeing that Su Zhelan's emotions had temporarily calmed down, but a lingering weariness and dazedness remained between her brows, Sheng Xuan's heart stirred slightly. He knew that in the dead of night, those temporarily suppressed worries and wild thoughts were most likely to resurface. He was truly worried about leaving Su Zhelan alone.

So, Sheng Xuan tightened his arm around Su Zhelan, rubbed his chin against the top of his head, and said in a tone that was deliberately relaxed but carried an undeniable determination: "Judging from your appearance, you definitely won't sleep well tonight. Fine, I'll reluctantly stay and keep you company."

Upon hearing this, Su Zhelan paused slightly, then looked up at Sheng Xuan. In the candlelight, Sheng Xuan's eyes lacked their usual playful and unrestrained expression, instead showing a rare seriousness and... a warmth that Su Zhelan couldn't quite discern.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, perhaps to refuse, or perhaps something else, but in the end he just pursed his lips and responded softly, "...Whatever you want."

This almost tacit approval made Sheng Xuan's heart leap with joy, and his face immediately returned to that familiar, slightly roguish smile: "That's a good boy! So you won't overthink things in the middle of the night."

As he spoke, he naturally helped Su Zhelan to her feet: "Go wash up first? You're all sweaty and sticky, it won't be comfortable to sleep." His tone was so familiar that it seemed like the most ordinary thing in the world.

Su Zhelan was indeed exhausted, so Sheng Xuan half-supported and half-carried him to the clean room behind the screen. Hot water had already been prepared, but Sheng Xuan didn't even call the servants. He personally tested the water temperature, wrung out a towel and handed it to Su Zhelan. He then leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, seemingly casual, but his gaze never left Su Zhelan.

After washing up, she returned to the inner room. Sheng Xuan walked to the bedside with perfect ease, quickly spread out the bedding, and then turned to dim the candlelight, leaving only a small lamp by the bedside, emitting a hazy and soft glow.

"Alright, lie down quickly." Sheng Xuan patted the bed, then took off his outer robe, leaving only his inner garment, and very consciously lifted the other corner of the quilt to sit down.

Su Zhelan was somewhat taken aback by Sheng Xuan's series of smooth and decisive actions. But perhaps he was exhausted, or perhaps he subconsciously craved the sense of security that came with this companionship, he didn't say much. He simply lay down silently, turned his back to Sheng Xuan, and curled up.

Sheng Xuan lay on his side, facing Su Zhelan's back. He could feel that Su Zhelan's body was still somewhat stiff, and her breathing was not steady. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently placed his hand on Su Zhelan's waist, feeling the warmth of her body in his palm.

Su Zhelan's body trembled almost imperceptibly, but she did not dodge.

"Go to sleep," Sheng Xuan's voice sounded particularly deep and gentle in the quiet night. "Don't think about it. Even if the sky falls, I'll be there for you... I'll be there for you."

Su Zhelan did not respond, but her tense back seemed to relax slightly.

In the darkness, Sheng Xuan could clearly hear Su Zhelan's breathing gradually becoming longer and deeper, as well as his own slightly rapid heartbeat. He quietly watched Su Zhelan's back, which was so close to his, the faint scent of soapberry mixed with the aroma of herbs lingering around his nose, and a strange sense of satisfaction and peace slowly flowed over him.

As night deepened, the candlelight flickered gently, casting the blurry, tranquil shadows of the two sleeping side by side onto the wall.