163 Chapter 163
"I gave myself to him, and it was disgusting."
A cool breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying scattered raindrops against the window frames.
The sound of rain outside the window seemed to be knocking on Xie Qi's heart.
He remained bent over and stared at the girl without moving, but the cold-faced girl had already turned her head away and looked away.
"So, you said you've seen through me and don't like me anymore, is that because of this?"
After a moment of silence, Xie Qi spoke hesitantly.
"What do you mean 'because of this'?"
Xu Qinghe looked at him with extremely cold eyes. "Do you think this is a trivial matter? As a couple, if you can't even be honest with each other, what kind of couple are you?"
After she finished speaking, she suddenly reached out and pushed away the person blocking her way, and went back to the bed in the inner room.
“…”
Xie Qi stood there for a long time. Only when the girl's breathing in the inner room gradually calmed down did he go out to the ear room.
After a simple wash, he changed into the underwear that the girl had specially ordered prepared for him, and lay back on the short soft couch cleanly and comfortably.
But the thoughts in my heart were like a flood that broke through the dam and poured down, and it took a long time to stop.
In the past, he was indeed the one who acted on his own.
He only wanted to keep his beloved girl away from all dangers and let her just be the carefree little princess in the Nan'an Palace.
But he forgot that times have changed and the Nan'an Palace no longer exists. How can they go back to the past?
The girl was brave and stubborn. Once she decided on something, she would do her best to achieve it, even if it meant using herself as bait or putting herself in danger.
She wanted to get what she wanted, but he just wanted her to be safe.
Because of this cognitive bias, he used his own way to gradually push the girl away from the goal she set, and the two of them drifted further and further apart, never being the same as before.
**
The next day, Xu Qinghe woke up to the sound of crackling rain.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a tall figure behind several layers of curtains.
It’s Xie Qi.
He stood there with his back straight, like a tall pine or bamboo tree.
"I thought a lot last night."
In the tacit silence between the two, he spoke awkwardly: "Everything that happened in the past was my fault, and I have no right to ask for forgiveness. But now, I just want to ask you one thing, Qinghe-"
Xu Qinghe turned over on the bed, facing the wall with her back to him.
"ask."
She said briefly, her voice trembling.
She remembered the loneliness she felt on her way from the southern border to the capital when she was young, the five years of isolation and helplessness in the deep palace, the struggle and pain after getting married, the relief and joy after learning that he had "resurrected from the dead", and the anger and grievance after learning the truth.
She also remembered the pleading inquiries on the Lantern Festival night, the seemingly frank wishes of the man in the elegant room of the rural home, and the peace she gave birth to and raised without his company five years ago.
At once, she thought of many things, all of which were closely related to him.
She was secretly looking forward to what decision this person would make after thinking it over, and what questions he would ask her.
After a moment, he heard the person behind him speak pleadingly: "If I correct this mistake, will you...love me again?"
"From now on, I will treat you with sincerity. I will tell you everything you want to know, and I will fully support you in everything you want to do. I promise not to lie to you or deceive you again. I promise to treat you sincerely..."
"I will respect and love you just like the man you like now. But..."
"But, once I become the person you like, can you forget about everyone else and only like me?"
“…”
"Qinghe, please..."
“…”
Inside the bed curtains, Xu Qinghe cried silently.
In the past, Xie Qi was a person who was unwilling to admit his mistakes easily, and even more unwilling to admit defeat easily.
If he lost to someone with a move in the martial arts arena, he would use the same move to kill the person without leaving a single piece of armor behind in just a few days.
He had half of his clothes cut off by Nan Mingzhao on the battlefield. Later, when they met again on the battlefield, he used the spear in his hand to seriously injure the man, and then knocked him off his horse with one shot.
But today, he not only told her that he was wrong, but also frankly admitted that he was indeed not as good as her "husband" with whom she was now very loving and inseparable.
As his childhood sweetheart, Xu Qinghe knew the struggle and unwillingness he had experienced that night.
But so what?
In the past many years, she had also experienced those things, even more bitter and painful than him.
He deserves it.
After a few breaths, Xu Qinghe calmed his voice and said, "Go out and ask Indigo to come in and serve."
“…”
Xie Qi did as he was told.
An hour later, the two had breakfast.
After just having a heart-to-heart talk, the atmosphere between them was a little subtle.
The man who always loved to joke around was now unusually quiet, making the already small room even quieter.
Xu Qinghe never gave Xie Qi an answer to his question this morning.
He once again engraved the words "step by step" in his mind. He didn't force her to respond. Instead, he glanced at the still-downward rain outside and discussed with her, "According to the current situation, the dikes in Caoqu Township will definitely not be able to hold back the rain. If you want to return to Lanzhou City, I will send someone to send you back safely."
"But if you don't want to go back and still want to stay here to lure Nan Si out, I will stay by your side all the time and never leave."
He raised his lips and smiled, "You said I always like to act on my own and make decisions for you. Today, I will correct my mistakes and put the choice in your hands. Return to Lanzhou City or stay here, which one do you choose?"
Xu Qinghe chose the latter.
After noon, the rain gradually subsided. Taking advantage of this gap, Xie Qi took her, the miser, and the villagers to the back mountain to avoid the possible flood.
Along the way, the two of them did not avoid other people's eyes, and always walked together holding hands.
There was a relatively steep mountain road ahead. Xie Qi held her hand and led her steadily to the halfway point of the mountain.
Looking down, there were many villagers climbing here. A little girl of four or five years old slipped down the mountain road because her parents let go of her hand for a moment, and now she was crying helplessly.
"Go ahead."
Xu Qinghe squeezed Xie Qi's hand.
Xie Qi lowered his head and saw a rare smile in the girl's clear black eyes.
That look was just like when he was a child, clear and bright.
"Xie Qi, I believe you."
She said this in a light tone.
Xie Qi looked at her deeply, then turned and walked towards the little girl who was still crying.
Behind him, the yellow puppy he bought wagged its tail and rubbed against Xu Qinghe's skirt for a long time, and then wagged its tail again to look for its real owner.
Just as Xie Qi held the little girl in his arms, he heard someone exclaim behind him:
"lady!"
**
Warm fingertips touched his cheek, and Xu Qinghe suddenly opened his eyes.
What caught my eye was Yang Ye's obscure face in the dim house.
"You're awake."
His hands did not stop moving, caressing her tender cheek inch by inch.
"Qinghe, you know, I've wanted to be in touch with you like this for a long time. Ever since I first saw you that day, the seed of wanting to be in close contact with you has been deeply planted in my heart. Now, I finally got what I wanted."
“…”
Xu Qinghe turned a deaf ear and just looked around quietly.
This seemed to be in the woodshed of a villager's home. Because it was gloomy and rainy outside, the house was also very dark.
With his hands tied behind his back to the chair, Xu Qinghe tried to struggle but found that he had no strength at all.
"Don't waste your energy."
Yang Ye smiled and said, "From the moment I kidnapped you right under everyone's noses, I already gave you a muscle softening powder. You won't be able to recover in less than twelve hours."
Xu Qinghe looked over. Even though her clothes were dirty, her hair was a little messy, and she was tied to the chair passively, there was no fear in her eyes.
"Why did you bring me here by kidnapping me?"
Yang Ye suddenly raised his lips and smiled: "I should be the one asking you this, Madam. What is your purpose in deliberately luring me out?"
"Don't call me that!"
"Oh? Why?"
Yang Ye raised his hand and affectionately gathered her scattered hair behind her.
He smiled and said, "Have we never been husband and wife for a moment? Have you never called me husband? Qinghe, your voice is so nice when you call me husband. Can you call me that again?"
Xu Qinghe turned her head to avoid his hand and said coldly, "I've never called you that before."
Yang Ye frowned and said stubbornly, "How could I not have called you that? In front of others, every time you looked at me, you were calling me that!"
He firmly grasped her chin and begged, "Just call me once, okay? Call me once, and I'll let you go."
Xu Qinghe's eyes flickered: "Really?"
"Of course I take it seriously!"
Yang Ye's face lit up with joy, and he said cheerfully, "As long as you agree to my request, as long as you are willing to be my real husband and wife, I will let you leave here. I will take you back to Nanyi Kingdom and make you its queen, okay?"
Xu Qinghe looked at him, seemingly lost in thought. But after a moment, he sneered, "Yang Ye, do you think I'm stupid? The Southern Emperor died a few years ago, and your Nanyi Kingdom has been without a ruler for several years. You and Nan Mingzhao are at odds with each other, yet it's difficult to determine who will be the new Southern Emperor."
"But today you want to promise me the throne of Queen of Nanyi Kingdom. What's your reason?"
"You're asking this because you're moved, right?"
Yang Ye didn't care about the sarcasm in her words at all. He just smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. What I can say, I can naturally do. Nan Mingzhao won't live long, and then it will be me who will reap the benefits. You leave this place with me, and also leave Xie Qi, and return to Nanyi Kingdom with me to be a loving couple, okay? Just like we were in Ting'an Town back then."
Xu Qinghe lowered her eyes and pursed her lips, as if her heart was already moved.
After a moment, she raised her eyes again, frowning and saying, "But why should I leave with you? Xie Qi and I know each other very well. I know everything about him, so naturally I can control everything about him. But Yang Ye, I know nothing about you. I don't even know if your name is really Yang Ye. How can I trust someone whose background I don't know at all?"
Yang Ye didn't ask but replied: "Are you really willing to go with me?"
Xu Qinghe lowered his eyes again.
Her black hair had already been wet by the rain and was sticking tightly to her cheeks and forehead.
The beauty's eyelashes drooped and her red lips were slightly pursed, as if she was shy or in deep thought.
"I...you should remember what I told you before."
Xu Qinghe whispered.
Yang Ye didn't react for a moment: "What?"
Xu Qinghe then said, "I told you that my feelings for Xie Qi have faded."
When mentioning this person, Yang Ye's eyes flashed fiercely: "But I have seen you two in the past few days, and you are very affectionate."
"But you should know that I did that just to provoke you to show up!"
Xu Qinghe suddenly raised her eyes, mist forming in them, a hint of grievance in her eyes. "Since you're right here in Caoqu Township, haven't you heard that I've been looking for you? To find you, I've given myself to him, pretending with someone I no longer love. Do you know how disgusting and painful that is?"
“…”
Seeing that he seemed moved, Xu Qinghe lowered her eyes and continued, "I worked so hard to give birth to a daughter for him back then, but now that we've met again, he insists that the daughter was born to me and someone else, and he refuses to acknowledge her."
"I only regret not listening to you back then, not waiting for someone who would never turn back. Now I'm hurt so deeply... Sometimes I even wish he had died back then..."
"Don't worry, he won't survive."
Yang Ye suddenly spoke.
"…What?"
Yang Ye said, "He already has residual poison from our Nanyi Kingdom, and his body is fragile. Now that there are many epidemics after the flood, it would be easy for him to be infected and die. After he dies, I will take you and the child away. We will return to Nanyi Kingdom and I will promise you everything you want."
"But how can you be sure..."
Xu Qinghe hesitated and said, "Will this flood inevitably cause an epidemic? If everyone had successfully evacuated to the mountains, and no one had been killed or injured in the river, the epidemic wouldn't have had a chance to develop."
Yang Ye smiled with a hint of pride, "Of course it's because... the river water now carries the seeds of the plague."
“…”
Xu Qinghe felt a sudden chill on his back, as if a cold and damp poisonous snake was clinging to him, making him feel terrified.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
