Song Ting's heart pounded violently at this sudden thought.
"Why didn't you fight back? Why didn't you dodge?! Even if I beat you to death today, you wouldn't dodge?!" Chu Huaixu's eyes were bloodshot.
Song Ting swallowed hard and remained silent.
It's like a silent acquiescence.
This enraged Chu Huaixu even more, his grip tightening as he roared at the man before him as if he were a madman:
"Do you think you're so capable, Song Qingxiang? You've kept everything from me! You've kept everything from me! Why are you hiding things from me?!"
"Song Ting, how dare you... how dare you treat me like this..."
He had been clutching something in his hand the whole time, but because he was holding it so tightly, it was crumpled in his palm, so Song Ting only noticed it at this moment.
Song Ting recognized the thing almost at a glance.
That was an imperial edict.
It was the young emperor's edict of self-reproach.
On the way back to the mansion, Song Ting had been wondering why Huai Xu had gone to the cemetery and why his emotions had suddenly collapsed like that. Now, she suddenly understood everything.
—Huai Xu understands.
Song Ting didn't need to guess who would do such a thing. Her cold, sharp gaze pierced Qi Zhou, who was standing to the side.
The latter lowered his head subconsciously, but his expression remained stubborn.
Song Ting was both angry and annoyed, and couldn't bear to see Qi Zhou for the time being, so she coldly said, "You get out too."
"..." Qi Zhou left silently.
Only Song Ting and Chu Huaixu remained in the room. Song Ting knelt by the bed, trying her best to calm Huaixu down. He was too agitated; the wound on his forehead was badly reopened, and he was bleeding even more.
Song couldn't bear to hear his tears, nor could she bear to see him bleed or get hurt.
"Young master, please calm down and let me explain." He said almost pleadingly.
"Explain what?!" Chu Huaixu's emotions were even more broken. "What's there to explain, Song Qingxiang? Aren't you the best at hiding things?"
"You've kept this a secret for so many years, so perfectly. Even when my dagger almost pierced your chest, you didn't utter a sound. What do you want to explain now?"
Chu Huaixu gripped his collar tightly: "What do you have to explain? What can you explain?!"
Song opened his mouth: "..."
“You all kept it from me, making me feel like a fool who was completely deceived. For the past few years, I have hated you so much that I wish I were dead.”
"I hate you, and I hate even more that I can't forget you. I despise myself for this, but you tell me that I've been hating the wrong person all along, and that I should be the one being hated!"
"You, Song Qingxiang, you endured humiliation and worked so hard, so what am I? Am I supposed to be deceived and kept in the dark?"
"But Song Ting, have you ever thought about what would happen if I really killed you, if I really killed you?!"
"You don't want me to know, you want to use your life to bind me, what a deep scheme you have, what a cruel heart you have!"
Chu Huaixu was now completely broken down. His hair was disheveled, his face was pale, his once affectionate eyes were bloodshot, and he was acting like a madman, questioning and roaring like a madman.
Every word was written with blood and tears, every sentence pierced the heart.
It was as if he wanted to vent all the hatred, resentment, grievances, and helplessness he had accumulated over the past five years.
Song Ting saw this and felt heartbroken, but she didn't know how to comfort him. She could only gently put her arm around his waist and carefully pull him down to press against her chest.
Their heartbeats traveled through their skin and bones to each other's hearts, and their heartbeats gradually merged, making it impossible to tell whose was beating faster.
“It’s okay.” Song Ting’s hands moved to cup Chu Huaixu’s face. He stared intently into the man’s eyes and said, “Then I will never let you know the truth.”
I'd rather you hate me forever.
But this was not what Chu Huaixu wanted to hear at all. Even now, this person still did not understand what he hated or resented, and still refused to reveal a single truth to him.
"Haha, hahaha..." Chu Huaixu laughed angrily, "Song Ting, Lord Song, you really think a lot about me, but have you ever thought that if that's the case, your reputation as a treacherous minister will be completely confirmed?"
"How will history record you then? How will people judge you decades or centuries from now? They will say you are a treacherous minister who deserved his fate, and they will curse you with the most vicious words..."
“I don’t care,” Song Ting said calmly. “I don’t care about any of these things.”
The more he acted this way, the more Chu Huaixu hated and resented him.
"Fine, since you don't care about your reputation before or after your death, what about me?" Chu Huaixu stared at him angrily and sorrowfully.
"There are no secrets that last forever. If you really die because of me today, and if one day I find out the truth but you are already dead, what am I supposed to do then?"
"Song Ting, do you want to drive me insane, so I can end my own life and go with you?"
"Or was this all along your plan? You wanted to keep me tied up while I'm alive, and keep me tied up when I die. Do you want me to die with you, Song Ting?"
Once a person gets angry to a certain degree, they seem to calm down. After venting his anger, Chu Huaixu suddenly calmed down and asked Song Ting in a very calm tone.
"Commander, you have sacrificed so much for my Prince Duan's mansion. It is only right that I should die for you, isn't it?"
"But I won't, I won't do that, Song Ting. I hate you, doing that will only make me hate you, and I never want to see you again in this lifetime or the next."
"I will not see you alive, nor will I see you dead."
If Song Ting's emotions could be considered somewhat calm before, Chu Huaixu's words easily shattered that calm.
Song Ting didn't dare to think about these things at all. Her face turned deathly pale instantly, and even the color drained from her lips.
"I……"
But Chu Huaixu wasn't about to let him go and continued to provoke him: "How cruel you are, Song Ting! You want me to go crazy for you, don't you?"
His gaze was fixed on the man's waist, where the blood-stained sword tassel was still hanging from the soft sword. Chu Huaixu yanked it off and slammed it to the ground.
"You couldn't possibly not know that this sword tassel is poisoned, so why did you wear it on your body? Song Ting, do you really want to die, or do you want me to die?!"
He was still too angry. Chu Huaixu's calmness didn't last long. Soon his eyes were red again. He stared at the person in front of him with resentment and even became somewhat incoherent.
"..." Song Ting was reluctant to part with the sword tassel, but seeing Chu Huaixu's expression, he certainly didn't dare to pick it up. He hugged Chu Huaixu even tighter. "I...I didn't...I didn't mean that, I—"
He stammered, trying to explain, but didn't know what to say, and was deeply saddened.
Every hypothesis Chu Huaixu made, whether it was about life or death, pierced his heart and soul, almost crushing his internal organs.
These words tormented Song Ting more than any kind of poison or curse.
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