Chapter 57 The Little Snail's Confession
The dog leaned against me and fell asleep without me even realizing it.
"Doggy, go back to your room and sleep, you'll catch a cold." I patted him gently, but he slept soundly. It seems he's really exhausted these days.
Suddenly someone helped him up. I looked up and saw Liu Bei standing in front of me with a smile. The guard helped Gou'er back to his room.
I stood up, bracing myself with utmost seriousness, and said, "Thank you for letting me stay for the night, sir."
Liu Bei smiled faintly and remained silent.
"It's so late..." I began, trying to find an excuse to get rid of this plague as soon as possible.
Liu Bei looked at me, then slowly stepped forward, approaching me step by step. His usually gentle and calm eyes shone brighter than the stars in the night sky. His ordinary and gentle features became inexplicably captivating because of his slightly sinister expression.
"Smile." He called out softly, a tone completely different from when he called me "Miss Pei" during the day.
"What...what are you doing!" I was quite startled and took a step back, my back pressed against the door.
Seeing that I was startled, Liu Bei laughed loudly, his laughter wild under the moonlight.
I was utterly astonished to see his expression was completely different from before; he seemed like a completely different person.
He reached out and gently stroked my chin, examining me closely. "An interesting woman." He laughed, not a faint laugh, but a loud laugh, as if I were truly that ridiculous.
I frowned slightly and took a step back imperceptibly.
"Of all the waters in the world, I would only drink from one? Do you really believe that?" He stopped laughing, looked at me, and asked.
I was speechless, then subconsciously straightened my back and nodded, "Of course I believe you."
“Love is a luxury, not everyone can afford it, and you obviously don’t understand that,” he said, looking at me without a smile, his eyes devoid of any warmth.
How could I not understand?
Family love, romantic love, friendship—all forms of affection are luxuries, and not everyone is fortunate enough to possess them.
Actually, I think so too, but I don't like the feeling of being seen through.
"A woman is like a silk vine, she should cling to a tall tree," he said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Xiaoxiao, shouldn't you find a tall tree, especially... in these chaotic times?"
I looked at him and laughed. "Let me tell you a little story."
"Oh?" He pulled me to sit down by the door with great interest, in the spot where the dog used to sit.
I glanced at him sideways, somewhat incredulously. That gentle and elegant man was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his robes wrinkled and covered in dirt, yet he seemed completely unconcerned.
Perhaps, he never cared in the first place.
A little snail asked its mother, "Why do we have to carry such a hard and heavy shell from the moment we're born?" The mother snail told it, "Because our bodies don't have bones for support, we can only crawl, and we can't crawl very fast, so we need a shell for protection." The little snail didn't understand and asked again, "Caterpillar sister doesn't have bones either, and she can't crawl fast, so why doesn't she have to carry this hard and heavy shell?" The mother snail said, "Because caterpillar sister can turn into a butterfly, and the sky will protect her." The little snail was unwilling to accept this and said, "Earthworm brother also doesn't have bones, can't crawl fast, and won't turn into a butterfly, so why doesn't he carry this hard and heavy shell?" The mother snail said, "Because earthworm brother can burrow into the soil, and the earth will protect him." The little snail started to cry, "Why doesn't the sky protect me? Why doesn't the earth protect me either…?" The snail mother comforted it, saying, "That's why we have shells; we rely on ourselves."
I began to speak slowly, and told my story by the moonlight.
"A very interesting story." After looking at me for a while, Liu Bei concluded, "Are you a little snail?"
A series of dark lines appeared on my forehead. I wiped my sweat, wondering how I had inexplicably earned another nickname for myself.
“Unlike the little snail, I didn’t have a mother to tell me all this. I was hoping someone could protect me, but after stumbling and falling for so long, getting bruised and battered, I finally realized that it’s safest to rely on yourself.” I didn’t look at him, but just spoke softly.
"It's definitely more interesting to call it 'Little Snail'," he concluded to himself, seemingly oblivious to what I was saying.
I glared at him.
He looked at me and suddenly laughed, "Why don't you just be my woman?"
"Huh?" I was stunned, completely dumbfounded.
“Carrying someone else’s shadow will be tough,” he said, squinting slightly as he looked at me. “One day, I will conquer the world. Would you be willing to share it with me?”
Destined to be entangled in romantic relationships.
I'm destined to have many romantic encounters, but they're all unfavorable; none of them go smoothly.
"If you think you can use me to control Cao Cao, you've miscalculated," I said, tilting my head and smiling as I warned him. "You might say I'm just a shadow." I looked at him, at a completely different person than usual.
Once the mask of gentleness was removed, I discovered that Liu Bei was also a ruthless and ambitious man. His ambition was no less than anyone else's, which explains why Cao Cao was wary of him and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.
“It’s definitely more worthwhile to be my woman,” he said, looking at me seriously. “The biggest advantage is that I have no connection with that woman named Xiaoxiao, so I won’t treat you as a shadow. In front of me, you are at least a living person.”
"Lord Liu's personality is truly beyond everyone's expectations," I smiled. "I wonder if others have also had the same opportunity to witness Lord Liu's 'true nature' as I have?" I deliberately emphasized the last three words, with a hint of sarcasm.
"Only you." Liu Bei leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear.
His warm breath brushed against my ear, and I trembled slightly, my face turning red. I pushed him away.
He laughed, a hearty laugh, then stood up, turned and left.
I glared at his retreating figure, gritting my teeth.
The next morning, I took the dog with me to say goodbye.
Liu Bei sat in the courtyard, playing chess. He wore a lacquered gauze hat and a long robe with wide sleeves. He sat upright on a stone bench, holding a piece in his right hand. With a "snap," the piece was placed, and the game was over.
"You lost," Liu Bei said with a smile, speaking slowly and deliberately.
His gentle and reserved demeanor made it seem as if the arrogant man I met yesterday was just a dream.
The man sitting opposite Liu Bei was frequently wiping away sweat, clearly having suffered a crushing defeat.
I was about to speak when, in the blink of an eye, another round of fighting began.
Liu Bei smiled as he gazed intently at the chessboard, his expression so focused that it seemed as if the air around him had frozen.
A crimson maple leaf drifted down from a branch and gently landed on his gauze canopy, but he seemed completely unaware.
"Cao Cao is attacking." Suddenly, he spoke calmly.
I wasn't too surprised; it was recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, and this was an inevitable historical event.
"Why do you think he attacked Xuzhou so quickly?" Without looking at me, he gazed at the chessboard, seemingly still focused on the unfinished game.
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