A blush quickly spread across Bai Lingxi's face. In the bright moonlight, Zhou Jin saw her eyes darting around, and his own eyes flickered as well.
Bai Lingxi touched her forehead, feeling the spot where she had just been kissed burning hot. Her voice was thick with tears, still nasal, as she asked, "Why did you just…?"
"Hmph!" A soft snort made Zhou Jin's heart tremble, as if he were the rebellious mortal who had blasphemed the goddess of the heavens and incurred her punishment.
"Xi'er, don't you like it?" Zhou Jin's eyes suddenly lit up, and his smile became even more gentle.
Seeing Bai Lingxi's shy demeanor, Zhou Jin's heart fluttered, as if he saw a glimmer of hope for reconciliation. Zhou Jin's voice softened.
"Xi'er, I was too harsh today. I won't pressure you anymore, okay?"
The awkward atmosphere eased with Zhou Jin's words. Zhou Jin's gaze deepened, and when he looked at Bai Lingxi, his eyes were no longer as gentle as before, but instead held a hint of possessiveness.
That's what Zhou Jin said, but a kiss truly ignited his inner desires. The familiar scent, the familiar feeling, the familiar person—all of it made him lose his mind.
"Then hurry up and get out of here, I need to rest." Bai Lingxi bypassed his question, wanting to get rid of Zhou Jin, or rather, she didn't want to agree to Zhou Jin's request at this moment.
Bai Lingxi pushed him away with her small hands, wanting only to drive him off her bed, but Zhou Jin grabbed her small hand and pulled her into his arms.
"Xi'er, let's not be angry anymore, okay? Don't think about others, isn't it good just the two of us?"
Bai Lingxi remained silent. She neither said it was good nor bad. Clearly, Zhou Jin's beautiful vision had not moved her.
"Xi'er, please try to like me, okay? Do you know how much we used to love each other? We were one!"
Zhou Jin's voice sounded like a plea. He was a high and mighty emperor, and he had never used such a humble tone before. If it were an ordinary person, they might actually have agreed.
But he was facing Bai Lingxi, who never wronged herself for others, so Zhou Jin heard her say that.
“But…” Bai Lingxi had no recollection of the “affection” he mentioned. During the time she was taken here, she hadn’t missed her husband and An’er for a single day.
"No, that's impossible. The me before I lost my memory and the me after I lost my memory are completely different. You're just being too stubborn."
Bai Lingxi's voice was soft and sweet, but her words were so cold to Zhou Jin, as if a thousand icy needles were piercing his body and soul.
"Don't you want to give it a try? Just for the sake of what we used to be like!" Zhou Jin spoke again, this time his emotions were much stronger, because Bai Lingxi's rejection was so decisive, as if she wanted to erase everything they had ever shared.
Bai Lingxi remained silent, her gaze calm and unwavering, her exquisite face as cold as ice. Only her long eyelashes, still trembling slightly, spoke of the turmoil within her heart.
No candles were lit in the room; only the cold moonlight shone down, elongating their shadows and making the space seem even more empty and lonely.
...
Zhou Jin waited for a long time but did not receive a reply from Bai Lingxi. His gaze was heavy, his expression complicated, and it felt as if a flame was burning in his chest, constantly consuming his reason.
"Xi'er, why are you always so naughty!" Zhou Jin's eyes gradually turned red, like an angry lion. He suddenly lowered his head, pressed his forehead against Bai Lingxi's, and finally kissed her lips.
"Ugh—" Bai Lingxi couldn't dodge in time and was held tightly in the man's arms, with soft sounds constantly escaping her lips.
About fifteen minutes later, when she was almost out of breath, Zhou Jin finally released her, giving her a chance to catch her breath.
Bai Lingxi was like a fish stranded on the beach by the waves, powerless to struggle, her vision blurring. If Zhou Jin hadn't been holding her up, she would have collapsed to the ground.
"No, Zhou Jin, I can't abandon my husband and child!"
Bai Lingxi practically shouted these words. She was no longer willing to back down, or rather, the barrier that had always stood between the two of them finally exploded like a thunderbolt!
Since she couldn't keep up the act any longer and had already said it, Bai Lingxi decided to be blunt: "Zhou Jin, I know you may have admired the Bai Lingxi of the past and have fond memories of her, but that's all in the past. Can't we look forward?"
"People change. You said we used to be very much in love, but how could you have abandoned me and let me meet my current husband?"
"He's not the despicable person you describe. He's always taken care of me, been considerate of me, and thought of me in everything he did. He wouldn't do something like kidnapping someone!"
A series of questions and statements came from Bai Lingxi's mouth. She did have doubts about Zhou Jin, wondering if she really liked him, after all, the two were so compatible.
However, Bai Lingxi also couldn't let go of Zhou Changling. Since she lost her memory, Zhou Changling had been taking care of her gently and patiently, as well as the child in her womb.
Logically speaking, even if a woman were abducted, what man would take care of another woman's child, let alone treat him as his own? Zhou Changling did just that.
After a pause, Bai Lingxi choked back tears: "To me now, you are more of a stranger than he was. Even if we had a past, that's all in the past!"
"Zhou Jin, let me go! Don't force me to hate you!"
...
"You go and rest first, I'm going to rest too."
In the end, Zhou Jin fled in disarray. All he wanted to do was escape. This was the moment when he felt most powerless. Even when he ascended the throne, he was isolated and helpless, which was a million times better than this!
When Zhou Jin returned to his room, he felt restless and opened the window, gazing at the moon hanging high in the sky.
The phrase "Let me go, don't force me to hate you" kept repeating in Zhou Jin's mind, stabbing his heart again and again.
The winter wind was biting, and it hurt his face terribly, as if it had blown away the fragments of his heart, and the wind kept pouring into the hole in his chest!
That night, Zhou Jin sat by her window in her room for the entire night.
The light in his eyes flickered as he thought about the previous dynasty, national affairs, Bai Lingxi, and their respective destinies.
Will they ultimately arrive at the same destination, or will they become strangers? And where does the road ahead lie?
Zhou Jin didn't know that this was an unsolvable problem. Only one of him and Zhou Changling could appear in Bai Lingxi's life, just like day and night, which could never coexist.
No one knows what Zhou Jin was thinking that night, just as no one knows what lies ahead of them.
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