"First, you will move out of here. I will arrange a safer and more comfortable place for you to live near this town, but it must be completely under my control. My people will take over the outer guards and daily supplies to ensure everything goes smoothly."
Shen Yuewei pursed her lips. This meant she would lose some of her freedom and privacy, but for her safety and to keep him calm, they could talk. She didn't object immediately, gesturing for him to continue.
“Second,” Xiao Chengjing’s gaze was fixed on her eyes, “from today onwards, you must allow me to…see you once every three days.” He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, before finally adding, “or at least let me know if you and the child are alright.” This request carried a hint of barely perceptible clumsiness and a longing hidden behind its forcefulness.
Shen Yuewei's heart skipped a beat. To meet? That meant a deeper entanglement.
“Third,” Xiao Chengjing’s voice deepened, carrying a hint of probing and an undeniable air of authority, “regarding that palace banquet… I need to know every detail you know. I need to know who is behind this scheme against you, who is plotting against… me.”
This is one of his real goals! To investigate the truth and expose the mastermind behind it all!
Shen Yuewei fell silent. Moving and regular meetings, though forced upon her, were manageable. But the truth about the palace banquet… that was far too complicated. She didn't fully trust him yet, and she didn't want to get involved in his complex struggles too soon.
The corridor fell silent, with only the rustling sound of rain hitting the banana leaves.
Xiao Chengjing waited patiently, knowing she was weighing the pros and cons. He didn't urge her, but simply gazed intently at her, at the softer lines of her face softened by pregnancy, at the struggle and calculation flickering in her eyes. This Shen Yuewei was vibrant, resilient, and full of life, far more captivating than the blurry figure in his memory who would eventually become his wife… He couldn't look away.
Finally, Shen Yuewei raised her head to meet his gaze, her eyes filled with a resolute calm: "I can agree to your first two conditions. But the third, regarding the palace banquet, I won't discuss it now. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Xiao Chengjing pressed.
“Unless Your Highness can prove that you are worthy of my trust,” Shen Yuewei said, enunciating each word clearly, “that your investigation into this matter is not to use me and the child as pawns, but to genuinely seek out the mastermind behind dragging us into this mess!”
Xiao Chengjing gave her a deep look, his gaze so sharp it seemed to pierce her soul. After a long pause, he slowly nodded: "Alright. I will let you see."
He stepped forward, his tall figure almost engulfing her. Under the tense gazes of Chun Tao and Zhang's mother, he suddenly reached out, not forcefully, but with a cautious probing, and gently, very gently, placed his hand on her swollen belly.
Shen Yuewei's body stiffened instantly.
Even through the thick clothing, the warmth of his palm could be clearly felt. The little one inside seemed to sense this unfamiliar touch and playfully nudged forward!
Xiao Chengjing's hand trembled violently! An unprecedented surge of emotion, a mixture of shock, ecstasy, and indescribable excitement, instantly overwhelmed him! This was his bloodline! Responding to him!
He quickly withdrew his hand as if he had been burned, but the emotions surging in his eyes could no longer be concealed. He looked deeply at Shen Yuewei, his gaze complex beyond words, containing domineering, determined, a strange tenderness born from their blood ties, and a hint of... embarrassment that even he himself was unaware of.
"Manager Wang will be back this afternoon." He said this, then turned and strode into the misty rain, his back view showing a hint of haste.
Shen Yuewei sat there in a daze, her hand unconsciously stroking the spot he had just touched. There, the little guy was still moving happily, as if celebrating something.
What began as a jealous dispute over expulsion eventually evolved into a negotiation where everyone had their own agenda. Shen Yuewei saved Manager Wang and the shop, but at the cost of her freedom and more contact with him. Xiao Chengjing, on the other hand, gained permission to be near her and, for the first time, truly felt the presence of the little life that was connected to him by blood.
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