Small orange lantern
Why are you angry again?
Su Manyan's answer was filled with guilt. She racked her brains to understand why Xiao Lin had suddenly asked this question, and she couldn't guess what he meant by "next time." Seeing Xiao Lin's face suddenly darken, her voice gradually dropped.
"Your Highness?" She looked at him beggingly with eyes full of hope.
I really can't guess what you are thinking. Please let me go, Your Highness.
But the person before him remained unmoved. Warm yellow candlelight enveloped the room, and wisps of mist rose from the teacup filled with hot water. In this hazy atmosphere, even with his stern face, Xiao Lin seemed particularly gentle in Su Manyan's eyes.
Although the other person had a gloomy face, he had a cold but warm heart. This reminded her of her grandmother's golden retriever, who always put on a fierce look, but only after getting to know him did she realize that beneath the fierce appearance was a soft heart. He barked loudly, but as long as he was coaxed a few times, he would turn over and act coquettishly.
The same thing happened to Xiao Lin, who turned his face away.
She originally thought that he was here to catch her as a spy, but unexpectedly, Xiao Lin came in the wind and snow, in the dark of night, just to care about her injuries. He even learned to comfort her in a clumsy way.
Her heart warmed. Yun Que was right: "Your Highness is a very good person."
Su Manyan felt a little amused. She reached out and gently placed her hand on Xiao Lin's knee, applying a little pressure with her fingertips: "Your Highness, I know I was wrong. Just tell me."
The palms of her hands resting on her knees were still swaying slightly, a habit she had developed since childhood, always shaking their arms when admitting her mistakes to her parents. Now, unconsciously, she did it, the tone of her words trailing off with a slight upturn, full of intimacy that she wasn't even aware of.
A burning sensation suddenly climbed up to Xiao Lin's ears. He took a deep breath, and all the heat rushed to his knees, like the flickering candlelight on the table, and even the flesh there seemed to be jumping.
He could clearly feel his flesh twitching, as if it were given life. "Your Highness, please pay attention to me." The man's sticky plea for mercy echoed in his ears again, and Xiao Lin met his clear eyes.
"You..." The words came to his lips and were swallowed back, like a sigh, or like silent indulgence.
Xiao Lin tried to move Su Manyan's hand away in a panic, but when he raised his hand so quickly, a gust of wind blew up, and a chill passed over his palm. He then realized that he was sweating.
He finally relented. "When I say next time, I mean don't hurt yourself, not the study. Didn't you say you'd risk your life for me? If you get hurt, how can you still be a hero?"
I understand the truth, but hearing these sincere words with my own ears, the feeling is different after all. Su Manyan laughed to himself.
In this otherworldly cold palace, she truly felt warmth. While the other party had the intention to exploit her, wasn't she the same? A gentleman judges deeds, not hearts. They both harbored the intention of using the other to survive, but within these precarious palace walls, they ultimately tried to protect each other.
Even if it was just coaxing, she had nothing to lose and was still happy to hear that a powerful prince was willing to give her the greatest respect.
Thinking back to when they first met, they were at loggerheads; only this afternoon had she given her heart without reservation, and he had cautiously accepted it. Now, he had taken the trouble to come all the way here, visiting her in this awkward way, and promising her the utmost trust and confidence.
They all left their homes, one from another country, the other from another world, different regions, different time and space. But in this slow-paced era, where people and vehicles are slow and time is too precious, they are all thousands of miles away from their homeland.
They all have broken souls and are lonely.
Fortunately, in this dark place, they can both hold a lamp and slowly lick their wounds.
Xiao Lin was also infected by Su Manyan's smile. He noticed the dimples at the corners of her mouth. His fingers curled up unconsciously and he rubbed them with his fingertips, which actually made him feel a little itchy.
"Why are you so happy?" He couldn't help but ask, his tone tinged with laughter, the ending tone rising slightly, "Hmm?"
"I am naturally happy to have His Highness supporting me and worrying about me." Su Manyan answered bluntly.
Neither of them spoke after that. The warm firelight in the house shone through the thin walls, completely isolating the cold from the outside world.
Su Manyan felt like she was soaking in a jar of honey, her whole body radiating sweetness. Suddenly, her throat started to itch, and she reached out to make a cup of tea to soothe it. Just as her hand was about to touch the teapot, the person in front of her had already brewed the tea. Before handing it over, he even touched the back of his hand against the wall of the cup to test the temperature before handing it to her.
Su Manyan was stunned for a moment, but his body reacted before his thoughts, and his hand had already reached out to the ordinary teacup that was handed to him.
Her movements were so hurried and her hand was so careless that their fingertips accidentally bumped into each other.
She had some nails, and could feel them lightly scraping against the man's skin. The man's hand curled slightly, but didn't retract, still holding the glass, waiting for her to take it.
Su Manyan was a little at a loss for words. As he took the teacup, he murmured, "Thank you." His voice was very soft, but the room was so quiet that even every sigh and breath could be heard clearly.
It was hard to explain why, but this was the first time Xiao Lin handed her a cup of tea, yet the two of them acted as if they had done this countless times before, their movements so familiar that they seemed to have practiced them a thousand times. Whenever she was thirsty, someone would hand her a cup of tea.
Her movements were natural, his were natural, too. This tacit understanding made no sense, and both of them were surprised by their own reactions, but they didn't suspect there was anything strange about this familiar movement.
There is snow falling outside the window. Let it snow for a while.
Xiao Lin looked at Su Manyan's fair and tender face and thought that perhaps he should treat her like a younger brother. Looking at her thin frame, she must be more malnourished than the others.
"Okay, I have to go. Remember to get some rest."
After comforting the injured, Xiao Lin saw the snow falling heavier outside the window and asked to leave first.
Su Manyan wanted to stand up, but Xiao Lin held him down: "Your foot is sprained, so don't move." His tone was full of helplessness.
Su Manyan had no choice but to sit where he was and watch Xiao Lin turn around and leave the house.
Like that night, the night we went to see Xiao Hei together.
Until only a white finger bone remained in sight, covering the brown wooden door, and the old door lock creaked in the quiet night, Su Manyan suddenly shouted, "Wait!"
She didn't want to see his figure drowned in the darkness.
There was bright moonlight that night, but tonight the snow is too heavy.
Xiao Lin turned back and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
A small orange light suddenly appeared in his sight.
"Here, it's for you." Su Manyan held the handle of the lamp in front of him. Seeing that he was stunned, he moved closer and said, "Hurry up and take it. The road is dark. There's already one person lame here. If there's another one, I won't be able to take care of them all."
She had found this lamp in a corner while cleaning the house. The round object was covered in thick dust, making it look dim. After clearing away the dust, she discovered that it was shaped like an orange.
Su Manyan thought to herself at the time: "Such a lovely little orange lantern, it's a shame to just throw it away like that! The people in the imperial palace are truly extravagant and wasteful."
I left the lamp behind, and it is now really useful.
Xiao Lin took the palm-sized orange lantern and smiled sincerely: "Ayan, thank you."
Thank you for giving me this light.
Thank you for your willingness to help me.
Thank you for being here.
Only Xiao Lin himself knows how much is hidden in this thank you.
"I'll be careful, don't worry."
This small orange lamp became his only light in the dark night.
"Ding! The male protagonist's dark value has dropped to 80%. Please continue to work hard."
In the bright yellow hall, Ying Xiao was reporting in detail to the man on the high seat about what happened with Su Manyan tonight.
Xie Jingyuan didn't even glance at the person on the ground. He hugged the beautiful woman with a soft body.
Hu Ji's underwear was half exposed, and her long nails were scratching Xie Jingyuan's chest lightly, as if he was haunted by a ghost.
Xie Jingyuan's hands were dishonestly wrapped around her slender waist, but there was no lust in his eyes.
"Your Highness, could A Yan be lying? When I saw him tonight, I felt that he was different from my previous impression." Ying Xiao saw that Xie Jingyuan didn't say anything and couldn't figure out what he meant for a moment, so he spoke carefully.
Xie Jingyuan sneered, "A eunuch can't cause any trouble. He's a useless piece of shit who doesn't even have the guts to poison someone. Well, I'll give him another chance."
"But..." Yingxiao looked at Xie Jingyuan and the woman struggling, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
"Are you questioning my judgment of people?" Xie Jingyuan raised his eyes and asked back, his tone suddenly cold.
"I dare not."
Seeing Yingxiao kneeling and begging for mercy, Xie Jingyuan softened his tone a little: "Ayan is a eunuch who grew up with the Queen. I met him a few times when I was an orphan. I asked my mother last time, and she said it was true. You can rest assured."
"yes."
Xueniang in his arms was frightened by Xie Jingyuan's sudden coldness and trembled, thinking that she had offended the prince, but she found out that it was the unromantic person below who angered His Royal Highness the Prince.
This simple-minded, muscular man had been with the prince all day, spending more time with him than any of them had. She had long been impatient. Seeing the prince angry was rare, so she wanted to take the opportunity to add fuel to the fire.
"Your Highness, this secret guard is so clueless. Why don't you let him go? Doesn't it kill the atmosphere if this big guy just acts like a servant?"
Hearing Xue Niang's instigating words, Xie Jingyuan raised an eyebrow and looked at Ying Xiao, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes: "My little lover said you were in the way. What do you think, Great Guard Ying?"
"I know I was wrong, and I hope Your Highness will punish me." Yingxiao said calmly.
"You!" Seeing Ying Xiao's nonchalant attitude, Xie Jingyuan was furious. This person has always been like this...
"Your Highness..." The delicate female voice came again.
"Have you been allowed to speak?"
Xie Jingyuan interrupted with a harsh voice and pushed Xue Niang to the ground. The tenderness and affection just now disappeared in an instant.
"Get out!" he raged.
The emperor's mind is so unpredictable.
When Yingxiao saw Xie Jingyuan leave in a huff, he secretly clenched his fists.
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