Zhao Xiheng had a bandage on her forehead, with faint traces of blood, indicating that she was seriously injured. It was uncertain whether she would wake up.
Wei Li wanted to touch her, but his hand trembled and he didn't dare to move it. In the end, he could only gently touch her hair.
His voice trembled as he said, "Ah Dan, Ah Dan, wake up. I promise I'll never scare you again."
The more he spoke, the tears that had stopped started falling again. "Ah Dan, I will be very, very good to you from now on. Please don't let anything happen to you."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong. I'll say it as many times as you want." In this situation, his three words "I'm sorry" were like a flood, repeated over and over again without getting tired.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Wei Li's most vivid and humiliating memories of all his life were from the first time he met Zhao Xiheng.
He was a beast-fighting slave kept by a powerful figure, raised with wild animals. He would only be dragged out to fight the beasts when a performance was needed, for people's amusement.
A spoiled little girl, claiming to be a princess, ordered the gates of a cave to be opened.
Those who kept him couldn't resist, so the fence was opened with a loud crash, but he was bound with chains and trampled underfoot, as they feared he would go mad and harm the nobleman.
Zhao Xiheng entered, lifting his chin with a small horsewhip. She wore a bright red dress and dazzling jewelry. Despite her young age, she exuded an air of nobility that made others feel inferior.
She moved the cold riding whip away from Wei Li's chin and frowned at the people. "This is a person. Why are you stepping on him? Marquis Chen dared to disobey the Emperor's orders and secretly raise beast-fighting slaves, disregarding human life. His good days are over."
For the first time, Wei Li realized that he was a human being, not a beast, and that he should not be trampled underfoot.
Her dazzling image was imprinted in Wei Li's eyes and mind. He wanted to look at her again, but he felt dirty and lowly and dared not look anymore.
It was the first time he had ever known what self-respect and shame were.
She didn't want anyone to see her in such a sorry state.
Zhao Xiheng took him out and brought him into the palace as a groom, but he was still wild and untamed at that time, often hurting people, and he couldn't even speak clearly. Some people said that the little princess lived in Chaohua Palace, and he secretly broke into Chaohua Palace to see her, but he was almost beaten to death and thrown out.
Then someone gave him some money and released him from the palace, saying it was the little princess's order, that the little princess said he was not suitable to stay in the palace.
Wei Li was pushed away with the money in his hand. He didn't understand why the little princess wanted him and then didn't want him anymore.
They lingered near the palace for three months.
Every time the palace gates opened, he would try to get closer to see if the little princess wanted to take him back.
It was finally confirmed that he had truly been abandoned, and the little princess really didn't want him anymore.
Later, he learned that the little princess was the emperor's only daughter, named Zhao Xiheng.
She was of noble birth, shining like a star; even a powerful figure like Marquis Chen had to defer to her. In her heart, he was probably just a stray dog she had casually rescued; how could he possibly leave much of an impression?
Over the years, Wei Li wandered from place to place, eventually arriving in Pingzhou. When he couldn't sleep at night, his hatred for Zhao Xiheng surged like a tidal wave. He dreamed of grabbing Zhao Xiheng by the throat and asking her why she saved him and then abandoned him.
He had imagined countless scenarios of his reunion with Zhao Xiheng. He was determined to trample her underfoot and shatter her arrogance and haughtiness in order to quell his long-standing resentment.
He heard that Zhao Xiheng had arrived in Pingzhou, so he led his men to Dandong overnight. He could have surrounded her directly, but he deliberately made a show of it to make her tremble with fear and feel that he was very powerful.
But upon seeing her face, Wei Li inexplicably didn't dare to say that he was the person she had saved back then, that filthy beast-fighting slave.
Looking back now, Wei Li realized that all his feelings for Zhao Xiheng were not hatred, but resentment—the resentment of loving someone he could not have.
He would only deliberately hide his shameful past from someone he likes.
Chen Ruojiang said that the clothes Zhao Xiheng wore that day were really beautiful, making her look energetic, and her hair was also neatly combed. Because it took him a long time to comb her hair, and the clothes were the most expensive piece of clothing she owned.
Before leaving, he looked at himself in the mirror for a long time and told himself: Wei Li, you are going to take revenge.
But is it really necessary to go to such great lengths to seek revenge?
"Zhao Xiheng, I love you. I've really loved you for a long time. I've always loved you." Wei Li had known he loved her for a long time, but he couldn't understand when or why he had fallen in love with her.
When those deliberately buried, unbearable past events were laid bare before him again, he understood everything. The humility he had liked from the beginning, the love that was built on the foundation of this humble liking, how could he dare to utter it aloud?
Wei Li and Zhao Xiheng have always been like the moon in the sky and mud on the ground; even if the moon falls into his arms, she is still the moon.
He poured all his shame and pride into this illicit love affair. He felt sorry for himself, thinking he couldn't compare to Xie Qingyu, and he was terrified that Zhao Xiheng would laugh at him if she found out his feelings.
Wei Li cried uncontrollably, all his pent-up emotions bursting forth at once. In his panic, he blurted out everything, sobbing, "A-Dan, I was wrong, I apologize, what I did... I did wrong, I'll change from now on, please don't leave me again. I'll never scare you again, I'll never be mean to you again. I'm sorry, I'll never be jealous of Xie Qingyu again, if you like him, go with him, sob sob sob."
The powder applied to the wound contained anesthetic, so Zhao Xiheng could hear it, but she couldn't move much; her body was stiff and numb. She had been screaming and howling while the medicine was being applied, and had just fallen asleep when Wei Li woke her up with his crying.
Wei Li started crying, tears streaming down his face, and grabbed her hand, rubbing it. Zhao Xiheng thought he deserved it; who told him to act so arrogant all the time, never apologize, and then abandon his mother and daughter without a word, only to run away now?
Then Wei Li continued to cry, saying he would never scare her again.
If Zhao Xiheng hadn't been unable to move, she probably wouldn't have been able to hold back her laughter.
There's no need to worry, she wasn't scared at all.
But Wei Li seemed to genuinely believe he had scared her, hahaha, was she just too good at pretending? So in Wei Li's mind, she still had a rather delicate image.
But as he cried, something went wrong. He started to repent and confess his feelings. Zhao Xiheng felt a little uncomfortable listening to him. Apologizing and confessing were fine, but why was he being so humble and insecure? She had never seen him like this before. "Come on, a real man should show the same fighting spirit he usually has with her."
My mother, she was crying so pitifully. Did she think she was going to die, so she poured out her heart?
The reason he didn't get along with Xie Qingyu was because he was jealous. He always said he didn't like her, but it turned out that it was all a lie. In fact, he loved her to death. Zhao Xiheng was a little surprised.
This young man is usually very stubborn.
"Ah-Dan, Ah-Dan, can you hear me? If you... if you're willing to be with me in the future, I promise I'll treat you well. I'll never scare you again. All the harsh words I said before were lies. The only thing I really mean is protecting you."
Zhao Xiheng felt a pang of sadness at his crying, but also a little touched. She told him not to cry, that she was really alright, and that it was embarrassing for someone about to become a father to cry like this, as it would have a negative impact on the child.
Zhao Xiheng wanted to persuade him, but she was too weak to open her mouth.
Where's the doctor? Come quickly and tell him she's alright, don't let him cry.
But the doctor couldn't hear Zhao Xiheng's inner thoughts. He even felt that Wei Li was crying too miserably. What if he went in and saw Wei Li in such a miserable state? People would feel ashamed and hold him accountable later.
While apologizing, Wei Li held Zhao Xiheng's hand tightly, knelt down by the bed, and pressed his head against her chest to listen to her heartbeat.
His heart was still pounding, and tears from the corners of his eyes dripped onto Zhao Xiheng's chest, hot and wet, before turning cold in a short while.
Zhao Xiheng wanted him to get away, as his movement almost touched her stomach, making her feel very insecure.
The female physician came in to check on Zhao Xiheng once, and seeing that she hadn't woken up, she quietly left. Seeing Wei Li like this, she couldn't help but remind him, "My lord, the lady will wake up soon."
Wei Li gripped Zhao Xiheng's hand even tighter. He knew, he knew, that Zhao Xiheng would wake up, but he was still afraid. He was afraid that if he looked away, Zhao Xiheng would suddenly become a cold corpse.
Zhao Xiheng could do without him once, or even a second time, but she couldn't die; she had to live well.
Zhao Xiheng was exhausted and fell asleep again soon. When she woke up, it was already late at night. Wei Li was still awake, kneeling by the bed with his eyes shining like a night owl. When he saw her wake up, his hands were trembling with excitement.
He stood up, but because he had been kneeling for too long, his legs were numb and he knelt down again with a thud.
Zhao Xiheng closed her eyes, unable to bear watching. So stupid.
Hearing the commotion inside, the female healers and physicians rushed in. One of the female healers came to examine the wound, asking, "Madam, does it still hurt?"
Wei Li returned secretly this time, and he could not let the news leak out, lest Liu Huan and Wang Zhiyao find out. Therefore, those people who had been dismissed by Zhao Xiheng had not yet received the news and returned. For the time being, Zhao Xiheng could only be taken care of by the female physicians that these guards had found from the foot of the mountain.
Zhao Xiheng nodded slightly. It's true, anyone with a big hole in their head would feel pain.
The elderly female doctor lovingly touched Zhao Xiheng's face and said softly, "Madam, you'll have to bear with it. We can't use too much anesthetic. The amount of medicine we just applied was already the limit. Any more would be bad for the baby. Also, try not to give her any medicine, as that would also be bad for the baby."
Zhao Xiheng naturally understood that she was just unlucky; she hadn't even fallen in the right place. Fortunately, the little guy was alright, and so was she.
Wei Li had just recovered from the numbness in his legs and stood up while holding onto the bed frame when he heard the doctor's words. His limbs went weak and he knelt down again with a thud.
His originally narrow eyes widened as he stared at the two people in disbelief.
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