Late at night, the candles in Ning Xihua's tent were still burning.
Song Yi was just putting a new towel on Ning Xihua who had a fever to cool her down, but she was frightened by the dark shadow behind her and almost screamed out loud.
After seeing who it was, she lowered her voice and called out in surprise, "Your Highness?"
Su Bi nodded and waved to Song Yi to go out, "I'll take care of this, you go wait outside."
Song Yi didn't dare to ask how the Crown Prince had come in without anyone noticing. She hesitated for a moment, but still obeyed the order and left.
Before leaving, she carefully lowered the curtains in the inner room. Looking at the shadows of the two people reflected by the candlelight on the curtains, she sighed and turned to wait in the outer room.
There were only two people left in the inner room. Su Bi looked at Ning Xihua's pale face, and an indescribable feeling suddenly surged in his chest.
The person who used to be lazy, carefree, lively and energetic now lies there quietly. His bloodless face looks like a flower that is about to wither, adding a sense of broken beauty in the swaying candlelight.
Su Bi sighed and reached out to gently gather Ning Xihua's scattered hair.
What should he do with her?
When he first met her, he felt that her breath made him feel at ease, her actions often made him feel happy, and he felt very comfortable with her.
Therefore, he was willing to indulge her and go along with her, just hoping that this comfort could last longer.
Later, she accidentally got intoxicated by the soft fragrance powder and started to act coquettishly towards him. For the first time, he almost lost his mind due to lust.
At the birthday banquet, she ignored what others said and stood up for him in public. It was the first time that he had been protected by someone like this.
That day, her eyes were shining with a light that dazzled him.
Later, he tried to test her, but she not only did not push him away, but she gave him little toys to coax him. That was the first time he had such a strong obsession and possessiveness towards a person.
Now, she risked her life to block an arrow for him again.
Su Bi reached out and lifted the collar of Ning Xihua's pajamas, and saw that there were still traces of blood on the bandage wrapped around her chest.
Such wounds were only flesh wounds for him, but for a girl like her who had been raised as a spoiled child, it was a serious injury that almost cost her life.
He carefully fixed her collar and wondered how this little girl, who was always afraid of pain, fatigue and life, got the courage to rush forward to block the arrow?
Su Bi didn't want to explore why she asked him to be prepared in advance, and why Prince Ning received the letter in advance and saved them, as if she had known about the assassination in advance.
He only knew that when he asked her to go first, she did not leave. At that moment, he looked at her determined eyes, and all the noise in his heart quieted down.
Su Bi laughed at himself.
He had been abandoned all his life.
Abandoned by his father, abandoned by his mother, abandoned by the Duke of Zhenguo. He had long been accustomed to being abandoned as a sacrifice at critical moments.
When he let her go first, he was used to her leaving. It was just the norm in his life.
But she didn't leave, she turned around, stood beside herself, and firmly chose herself. Even if the road ahead was dangerous, she still didn't hesitate at all.
Su Bi looked at her deeply and chuckled. At the end of her laugh, her eyes were actually a little wet.
It turns out that he can also be the one who is not abandoned and is firmly chosen by others.
It turns out that he is also the one who deserves others to protect him at the cost of their own lives.
It turns out that he can also be...loved.
Su Bi raised her head and covered her eyes with her hands, thereby covering up her feelings that no one knew about.
Only a crystal drop dripping from the corner of the jaw reflected light in the candlelight, announcing that it had been there.
Su Bi took the handkerchief off Ning Xihua's forehead, soaked it in the basin of cold water beside the bed, wrung it dry, and then put it back on her forehead.
He did this over and over again, delicately and gently, without a trace of impatience, as if he could stay by Ning Xihua's bedside like this until the end of time.
Su Bi gently picked up one of Ning Xihua's hands and curled it neatly in her palm.
It was these hands that stood in front of him, using their flesh and blood to block the poisonous arrow that was fatal to him. It was also these hands that unintentionally grasped the medicine that he could not find anywhere to cure his severe poison.
He remembered Hui Ku's words again, that the destined person could save him from death.
He never believed in fate.
But she not only saved his life and saved him from death, she also stayed by his side and resolved the knot in his heart.
Su Bi lowered her head and placed a kiss on the back of Ning Xihua's hand.
The flickering candlelight and the dancing shadows were imprinted on the pious profile of the man with his eyes closed. It seemed that it was not a kiss, but a silent contract between the believer and the god he believed in.
When fate discarded me like a worn-out shoe, I held my head high to fight against it; but when fate made me love you, I bowed my head and accepted it with relish.
………
When Ning Xihua woke up, her mind went blank for a moment.
There are even three classic questions: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
The next second, the pain brought her scattered thoughts back.
“Hiss, it hurts!”
Damn it, if she had known that being hit by an arrow would be so painful, she would never have rushed forward to block the arrow for Su Bi!
"Princess, you're awake!"
Song Yi excitedly reached out and touched Ning Xihua's forehead, and said in surprise: "The temperature has also dropped!"
Ning Xihua was just about to ask her what happened to Su Bi when she saw the girl rush out like a gust of wind.
"I will go and call the imperial physician!"
Ning Xihua sighed helplessly, forget it, it seems that Su Bi is lucky and nothing happened to him.
It's just suffering for myself, hiss... it hurts so much.
Prince Ning also hurried over after receiving the news.
After the imperial physician examined her, he reported to Prince Ning, "The princess' temperature has returned to normal, and the wound is not inflamed. She is no longer in danger. She just needs to take good care of herself and there will be no problem once the wound heals."
Prince Ning thanked the imperial physician and ordered that he be given a large reward.
After the imperial physician left, Prince Ning looked at Ning Xihua's pale little face. Her dark almond-shaped eyes were staring at him pitifully. Only then did the tension in his heart relax.
"You little bastard, you have finally made it, haven't you? You dare to block arrows for others? Do you want to die?"
Ning Xihua blinked her eyes, thinking that it was a warm moment between father and daughter, but she didn't expect that the old man's angry scolding would shatter the warmth to pieces.
She looked at the dark circles under Prince Ning's eyes and his haggard look, knowing that he must have been worried and hadn't slept all night. Even though he was scolded, she felt a warm current flowing through her heart.
"Old man, I know I was wrong. I won't do it again next time~"
Prince Ning was still angry, "How dare you do it again!"
He stared at his good-for-nothing daughter fiercely, "Do you like that boy Su Bi so much that you don't even care about your own life?"
Prince Ning was so angry that he called him by his name, not caring whether it was disrespectful to the royal family.
Ning Xihua was silent for a while.
The body's instinctive reactions cannot deceive people.
When she went to block the arrow, she didn't think about any cooperation, plans, or the original plot of the book.
At that moment she was just afraid that Su Bi would get hurt, and before she had time to weigh the pros and cons, she subconsciously rushed out.
If she said that she only had a good impression of Su Bi before, but now she has risked her life to protect him, it seems a bit self-deception to say that she doesn't like him anymore.