Is it fun to... humiliate me like this?
Su Qingli was stunned for a moment, then smiled gently, took Xu Huangsheng's hand and walked towards the bathing hall.
Fu Xuechen followed closely, staring at the two people's clasped hands, half of his face dark and unclear.
The bath water had already been prepared in the bathing hall, and at this moment it was filled with hot steam and fragrant aroma.
Su Qingli stepped into the slightly hot pool water with her slender feet, creating a circle of ripples. She reached out to take off her outer clothes, revealing her exquisite figure. Her skin was illuminated by the warm light, like the finest white jade.
Just as Xu Huangsheng was about to raise his eyes, Fu Xuechen quickly stepped forward, hugged Su Qingli with his outer robe, and shouted at him coldly, "Get out!"
Xu Huangsheng's head almost dropped to the ground. He didn't dare to look any further and quickly retreated.
Su Qingli was held in his arms by his terrifying strength. Not to mention moving, even breathing was a little difficult.
She tried to struggle slightly, hoping to get a little breathing space, but he only restrained her more tightly.
Seeing the man's heavy gaze falling on her neck, shoulders, and slightly open collar without any hesitation, Su Qingli said angrily: "Fu Xuechen!"
The man let go of her slightly, and just when Su Qingli relaxed, Fu Xuechen raised his hand to take off the half-wet gauze on her body that was already sticking to her skin, and hugged her and fell heavily into the warm pool water.
The waves stirred up instantly broke the tense silence in the bathing hall. Su Qingli was frightened by the sudden loss of weight and subconsciously grabbed the man's strong arms.
Fu Xuechen's eyes quickly and carefully slid across her body. Fortunately, every inch of her skin he saw was as smooth as jade, which slightly extinguished the raging fire in his chest.
"Fu Xuechen, are you crazy?" Su Qingli suppressed her palpitations and asked sternly.
Fu Xuechen raised his eyes, staring at her with those eyes burning with dark fire, and the next second he kissed her regardless of anything.
“Hmm…”
The arm around her waist was released at some point, and with a burning warmth, it roamed freely on her sensitive skin.
Circles of tingling ripples spread across the water.
Fu Xuechen's lips moved along the direction of the fingertips again, and wherever they passed, they were unbridled and hot.
Su Qingli was extremely angry, but waves of heat were burning in her body. The clusters of flames that were difficult to ignore made her make sounds that were difficult to speak.
I don’t know whether I was angry or ashamed.
Patches of blush spread across her fair cheeks.
She bit her lips hard, but still couldn't block out the sound that was trembling with emotion.
"Alin..."
Fu Xuechen suddenly froze, and the hand clasped on her waist even tightened a little unconsciously. He raised his head and locked his gaze on her flushed and blurry face.
He looked at her for a moment with an extremely complicated, almost painful look, then let go of her and stood up.
The tall figure created a splash of water and left the warm pool water.
"You win."
Su Qingli looked at his disheartened back, a stiff smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, she buried her face in her clammy palms, her shoulders trembling slightly.
From that day on, there seemed to be an invisible ice wall between the two of them. They lived under the same roof, but had no more contact.
Occasionally, when they met from afar in the palace, Fu Xuechen would always have a stern expression and would not look away.
Su Qingli also held her breath, no longer actively looking for him, and not showing any weakness.
As they spent time together day and night, Xu Huangsheng and Su Qingli became more and more familiar with each other.
"Sister A Li, the New Year is almost here, and the palace is so deserted. Although my family isn't as wealthy as the palace, if... if you don't mind, would you be willing to go out of the palace with me to relax?
He knew very well that the emperor and empress had long since become estranged from each other, and this beautiful empress would probably spend the rest of her life alone within the deep palace walls.
Su Qingli didn't even think about it and shook her head, "I don't want to go anywhere."
"Sister A'li, are you really going to waste your whole life in this deep palace?" Xu Huang's tone was filled with genuine confusion.
After spending these days together day and night, the initial admiration for her beauty in my heart has quietly grown into a real affection for her.
He mustered up his courage and quietly took Su Qingli's hand. "If...if we could really leave this place, would you be willing to be an ordinary couple with me, living a quiet life?"
She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze as sharp as a knife, "Where do you get your confidence from? Do you think I, Su Qingli, will like you?"
He suddenly lowered his head, almost bending his body at a ninety-degree angle. His voice was filled with obvious panic and trembling, and he dared not overstep the mark. "It is my fault for speaking out of turn! I deserve death! Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Only then did Xu Huangsheng realize that he had spoken out of turn. She usually never let him touch even the corner of her clothes, always keeping a just right distance from him.
How could he be so foolish as to think that someone so high above the clouds would willingly give up the splendor and glory in front of him and follow him outside the palace to endure the hardships of sleeping in the open and having to worry about food and clothing?
Su Qingli suddenly shook off his hand, her cold gaze sweeping over him, "From now on, you don't have to appear in this Kunning Palace."
…
When Fu Xuechen learned that Xu Huangsheng was driven away by Su Qingli, a hint of almost imperceptible surprise flashed across his deep eyes.
He thought for a moment and asked the palace maid, "Has the Empress said she wants to find another male favorite?"
"No."
Fu Xuechen's expression remained calm. He simply replied "I know" and waved his hand to let the palace servant who reported the matter leave.
He lowered his head, and the ink spread across the memorial, creating a small dark cloud.
Su Qingli drove Xu Huangsheng away, perhaps just out of disgust or boredom, but a tiny ripple still arose in his heart out of self-conceit.
Fu Xuechen could no longer sit still. The uncontrollable ripples in his heart and the accumulated longing for two months drove him to stand up suddenly.
…
When Su Qingli saw Fu Xuechen, no, to be more precise, Tan Xi, walking quickly towards her with an expression that she was familiar with, the slight excitement that unconsciously appeared on her face because he took the initiative to come forward froze in an instant, and turned into a cold and dead silence.
The huge sense of absurdity and pain after being completely deceived and fooled came over me again.
She was so angry that she grabbed the warm teacup on the small table beside her and smashed it towards Fu Xuechen with all her strength!
The teacup did not fall completely into the air, and a piece of sharp porcelain fragment flew out.
A long and thin bloodstain immediately appeared, and the bright red blood beads quickly seeped out and gathered, turning into a shocking line of blood, winding down along his brow bone and side face.
Fu Xuechen stood there, without even moving his eyebrows. With an indescribable dark emotion in his eyes, he stared at Su Qingli, who was trembling with rage.
"Are you reminding me that you once deceived me and played with my sincerity?
"Is it fun to...humiliate me like this?! Answer me!"
Fu Xuechen lowered his eyes, his gaze fell on the bloodstains on the ground, his tone filled with a hint of desperation and grievance.
"You said...you said that the person you hate the most is me."
He paused, then continued in a dry tone, "I thought you would be happier if I pretended to be Tan Xi."
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