Qiao Qiu didn't have to wait long before Liu Yibu's men arrived, including He Qixie. He walked in first and returned the mask to her.
Qiao Qiu wasn't too surprised by his arrival, since she didn't know the true situation and it was quite possible that he had been notified by messenger eagle. Qiao Qiu turned around, put on her mask, stood up, and walked outside without saying a word to He Qixie.
He Qixie didn't care and followed behind her. Seeing her disheveled appearance, his heart clenched, and regret stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken. If he had thought of it earlier, he would never have let her go alone.
Back at the Shen residence, Qiao Qiu kept thinking about what the Emperor had said to her in the cave. She thought it was time to confront He Qixie. If he accepted it, fine; if not, she would leave Xiangzhou City soon anyway, and if he didn't accept it, they could simply never see each other again.
He Qixie returned to his own courtyard as soon as he entered the Shen residence. In fact, he was very conflicted. His father was hoping that he would marry a wife to carry on the family line, and he was so eager for him to do so that his eyes would pop out. However, the man he loved was a man. He couldn't explain this to his father, and he couldn't let go of Jun Bai.
He knew in his heart that Jun Bai also had feelings for him, otherwise he wouldn't keep asking him to admit his feelings for him. But how could he admit it?
If only he were a woman, then he wouldn't have to worry about so much.
As night fell, Qiao Qiu sealed off the back garden, forbidding anyone except He Qixie from entering.
When He Qixie heard Qiao Qiu invite him to the back garden to admire the moon, he almost jumped up excitedly. He asked the butler several times to make sure he hadn't misheard, then rushed out the door and ran to the back garden.
When He Qixie arrived at the back garden, he saw that the garden was brightly lit and there was a faint smell of wine.
Is Jun Bai going to invite him for a drink?
With this thought in mind, He Qixie walked into the garden.
The Shen Mansion Garden is very large, with two floors separated by a covered bridge. He Qixie walked along the corridor on the left side of the covered bridge, crossed the bridge, and arrived at the arched gate.
This familiar place gave He Qixie a bad feeling. When he turned his head, he saw Shen Junbai, who looked like an immortal in white.
This was the first time he saw Shen Junbai's true appearance, and he was amazed by his attire.
It was this outfit that made him unable to take his eyes off her.
Seeing Shen Junbai drinking under the moon today, He Qixie also had the illusion of seeing a banished immortal. This time, however, Shen Junbai was not shrouded in sadness and appeared even more ethereal.
Qiao Qiu seemed to sense something, turned to look at him, and smiled, "You've come."
He Qi Xie looked at her smile with a bit of a puzzlement, walked over, and sat down boldly.
Qiao Qiu poured him a glass of wine. "This wine is fragrant and delicious. It leaves a lingering aftertaste. You should try it."
There was no cold stare or harsh words as expected. Shen Junbai spoke to him as if he were an old friend he had known for years. This made He Qixie a little uneasy. He drank a glass of wine but couldn't taste anything.
Qiao Qiu said, "The person you saw was the Emperor."
"What?" He Qixie was a little confused, but he quickly realized what was going on.
Qiao Qiu knew he understood, so she didn't explain further. Instead, she continued, "His Majesty is the ruler of a country. It would be a grave offense for you to use your imagination to suspect him. I've made a deal with him and will be leaving Xiangzhou soon. Before that, he wants me to take care of my personal matters."
He Qixie remained silent. He never expected things to turn out this way, and even more unexpectedly, the Emperor knew about their affair.
He felt inexplicably happy, yet also inexplicably worried.
"Seventh Thank you, whether I know what you're thinking is one thing, but whether you dare to admit it is another. I like you, I want to be with you, and I obtained an imperial decree that from now on I will not be bound by any marriage arrangements made for me by anyone, all for you. Now I just want one question from you: Do you like me? Are you willing to break through the barriers of social conventions and be with me?"
“I…” He Qixie frowned.
Qiao Qiu knew he was a man of integrity and filial piety; otherwise, he wouldn't be facing such a difficult problem today. She didn't want to force him; otherwise, with her methods, why would Chief He not give in?
"Let me think about it."
“You’ve been thinking about this ever since you started liking me, but you haven’t thought it through yet. You have time to waste, but I only have this one night to make up my mind…” Qiao Qiu paused, rubbing the rim of the wine glass with her fingertips.
"What do you mean?" He Qixie's heart tightened.
Qiao Qiu twitched the corners of her mouth, her smile seemingly faint. "Why bother about what I mean? If you don't want to admit it, I won't 'force' you anymore after tonight."
"What do you mean?!" He Qixie asked again, a feeling of panic engulfing his entire heart.
"It's meaningless. I'm neither going to die nor to become the emperor's male concubine. You don't need to do this. I'm just tired and don't want to waste any more time. Look at me, I'm still young, but how many more three-year periods can I wait? You can't afford to wait either. Uncle He has been pressuring you to get married quite a bit, hasn't he?"
"You... you know everything."
Qiao Qiu gave a faint, self-deprecating smile. "How can something so obvious be hidden from anyone's eyes?"
"I wanted to slowly persuade my father, but every time I saw his expectant eyes, I couldn't say it, and my heart was filled with guilt. Junbai, I love you, but you are a man, not a woman. How can I easily say I love you and let you suffer the ridicule of the world?" He Qixie said all the words that had been hidden in her heart for a long time, and felt much lighter.
Qiao Qiu gripped the rim of her glass tightly, her expression remaining calm. "I never care about the world's opinion. Even if they curse me, in the end, they will still rely on me."
That statement could be described as quite ambitious, but when she said it, it was done with such nonchalance. He even felt that it wasn't something impossible. He Qi Xie gave her a complicated look and asked, "Jun Bai, what exactly do you want to do?"
"I just want to learn more about business," Qiao Qiu said, which was also her true feeling.
"Is that really all?" He Qixie felt that she had bigger ambitions after hearing her words.
"I don't want to give the same answer a second time. I'll send Uncle He some more things as a token of my gratitude. The rest is up to you," Qiao Qiu said, looking at him.
He Qi Xie understood the implied meaning of those words, and he would try his best to make his father understand that there was nothing wrong with men being together.
"Junbai, don't worry, I would rather die than betray you."
Qiao Qiu smiled, her dark eyes filled with emotion. "Okay, I understand. I'll remember."
The ring on her finger flickered, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. (For the latest chapters, please visit Tangkehang - mobile address: [link to mobile website])
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