Pei Wenxuan's back was stiff. He felt Li Rong's touch and was completely unable to think.

He didn't dare to speak, fearing that he would say something inappropriate. He could only stand there stiffly, not saying a word.

Li Rong leaned against him. After a while, she stood up and sighed, "Forget it. You are just like that. I will help you pick out the debris from the wound."

Pei Wenxuan said nothing. He felt Li Rong approaching him and carefully picking out the barbs on his back. Her breath sprayed on his back with a burning temperature, cutting across the wounds and then spreading all the way to his limbs.

While helping him pick out the debris from the wound caused by the cane, Li Rong said casually, "Next time you encounter something like this, at least discuss it with me so that I can have a better idea of ​​what to do. You always criticize me, saying that I don't understand people's hearts and that I don't care about other people's difficulties, but I think you are too considerate of other people's difficulties."

Pei Wenxuan listened quietly. Li Rong seldom spoke to him like this. It was as if she was an old lady, casually muttering about trivial matters in life.

"You always said that you didn't want to be like your father. Your father spoiled your mother so much that she didn't know anything, but you are really the same as your father at heart. Your mother lived in a wealthy family. When her husband died, he left behind so many things, but she didn't think about keeping them for her son. Instead, she was deceived by someone when you went to Luzhou."

"She handed over the housekeeping power, sent her husband's money to the clan, and didn't care about anything. She even had your uncle send away the old people left by your father. For what she did, you should have scolded her directly when you came back from Luzhou."

"It's no use what I said." Pei Wenxuan sighed, "She is a weak person..."

"Won't she learn if she's weak?" Li Rong got angry when she said this, "If she can't learn to protect you, why did she give birth to you? Is she worthy of being a mother? I don't understand your thoughts. You just think that she is weak and she can't do anything, so you never tell her about your sufferings, and only report good news and not bad news. She hides in the Buddhist temple all day thinking that your father knows nothing, and you are out there trying to endure it. I feel bad just seeing your bad temper."

Pei Wenxuan listened without saying anything. Li Rong cleaned up his wounds and watched Pei Wenxuan pull his clothes on. Li Rong looked at his expression for a moment and asked cautiously, "Did I say something too harsh?"

"Why do you ask this, Your Highness?"

Pei Wenxuan was a little confused. Li Rong pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment. She sat next to him and sighed softly, "I'm not stupid. I think seriously about what you said to me. You said I don't know people's hearts, and you are telling the truth. I think about everything from my own perspective, so I don't take many things into consideration. You were also injured at home today. If I say anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, please tell me."

Pei Wenxuan couldn't help laughing when he heard these words: "Don't worry, Your Highness."

"In fact, His Highness came back to me that day. From that moment on, no matter what His Highness said, I would not be sad."

Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan's words and turned back suspiciously: "Why?"

"Because Your Highness is willing to turn back for me, I know that Your Highness takes Wen Xuan to heart."

Li Rong smiled when she heard this: "You really think more and more highly of yourself."

Pei Wenxuan chuckled: "After all, we have been together for so many years, so we are finally friends, right?"

Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan's words and looked at his calm expression. She stared at him for a moment and finally said, "Forget it, tonight's incident is over, but you should listen to my words, whether you think they are right or not."

"Don't always think about others in everything. You have to fight for what you want and get it yourself. Whether the other party accepts it or not is their business, but you can't give it up. Wen is your mother. No matter how weak or incompetent she is, she will fight for you. You can't put yourself in trouble just for her sake."

"But," Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong seriously, "what if she doesn't want to?"

"Will she refuse?" Li Rong was quite surprised. "Whether she is willing or not, you have to give her a choice in the end. She has to make her own decision whether to help you or go back to her own temple. You can't block her choice from the beginning."

"But I know that path is better for her."

Pei Wenxuan's voice was a little hoarse, and Li Rong shook her head: "Pei Wenxuan, only the person involved knows which path is better."

Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything, he just looked at Li Rong quietly.

The girl in front of him had a face of eighteen, as beautiful as morning dewdrops, sparkling and about to fall, but her eyes were clear and bright, only after years of baptism. She looked at him quietly, with worries in her eyes that she didn't have in her previous life, and also a tenderness that eighteen-year-old Li Rong didn't have.

This is the brand new Li Rong.

At the beginning of his rebirth, he thought about marrying the 18-year-old Li Rong because he thought they could start over.

When he knew that Li Rong was reborn, he felt that their fate was over.

But now he realizes that he can start over at any time in his life when he wants.

He is different now than he was in the past, and Li Rong is also different from the previous life.

He is changing, Li Rong is changing, Li Rong is like a child, groping forward, even if she gets bruised and bloody, at least she is changing, changing. So why can't he live again in this new life, in a way he never had before?

In his previous life, he had watched Li Rong and Su Rongqing being together for twenty years.

It’s not that he can’t win or steal. He can even kill Su Rongqing secretly.

He just thought that Li Rong chose Su Rongqing, so no matter how jealous or painful he was, he would respect Li Rong's choice.

But they haven't even started in this life, why should he give in?

He should fight, he should grab, he should put the choice in front of Li Rong, whether to go or stay, at least Li Rong should give him an answer.

Countless crazy thoughts surged in his mind, but he never showed any of them. He was just like Li Rong. Once they got involved in something important, they would suppress all their emotions so that no one could see any trace.

He looked at Li Rong, restrained all his emotions and desires, and chuckled: "Your Highness, I will think about it carefully."

"It would be best if you could think positively."

Li Rong said slowly: "After all, I can't protect you forever."

"I understand." Pei Wenxuan lowered his voice, "I won't always ask Your Highness to stand up for me."

"Just so you know."

As they were talking, the carriage arrived at the princess's residence. Li Rong helped Pei Wenxuan get off the carriage. Someone had already come to report on the way, so when they arrived at the princess's residence, the servants had already prepared everything and were escorting Pei Wenxuan back.

The doctor came over to examine Pei Wenxuan, then applied medicine and bandaged him. After working for a long time, he told him to rest well and finally left.

After Pei Wenxuan had bandaged the wound, Li Rong was also exhausted. She and Pei Wenxuan ate something casually, then washed up and lay down on the bed to rest.

Pei Wenxuan was injured on his back, so he lay on the bed and looked at Li Rong.

Li Rong took a shower in the clean room, came back wearing light clothes, then blew out the light and climbed onto the bed.

Pei Wenxuan just stared at her without blinking. Li Rong noticed his gaze and when she lifted the quilt and lay down on him, she couldn't help but laugh and asked, "You keep staring at me, what are you looking at?"

"Your Highness is beautiful."

Pei Wenxuan answered truthfully, and Li Rong thought he was flattering her again, so she rolled her eyes at him and said, "You are so slick."

Pei Wenxuan tilted his head to look at her. Li Rong lay flat on her back and closed her eyes. After a while, she felt that Pei Wenxuan was still looking at her. She couldn't bear it anymore, so she opened her eyes and smiled, "What are you looking at? I can't sleep when you are like this."

As she spoke, Li Rong turned her back to Pei Wenxuan and complained to him, "Go to sleep quickly. If you don't go to court tomorrow, I still have to go."

Pei Wenxuan looked at Li Rong's back for a while before he asked, "Your Highness, what do you think of me?"

"Um?"

Li Rong didn't understand why Pei Wenxuan suddenly asked this question, and then she heard Pei Wenxuan say: "My father is a very good person. When I was young, I always hoped that I could live like my father, but my father is like a mountain. No matter what I do, I can't climb it."

"When I was little, my mother always said that I was not as good as my father. When other children achieved some success, their parents would be very happy. But no matter what I did, my father would only say that I was good, and my mother would only say that I was bad."

"So I never knew what kind of person I was. I want to hear your Highness's evaluation."

Pei Wenxuan's voice was very calm, but Li Rong felt a little sad when she heard it.

In fact, she understood what Pei Wenxuan said. Pei Wenxuan himself was not aware of it, but she knew that deep down, he always felt that he was not good enough.

Therefore, as long as she showed him a little kindness, she would see this man become ten times more touched and happy.

He was like this when he was young. After several decades, she thought that he should have grown up. However, when he asked a question out loud, she realized that if the wound is not taken care of, it will only rot, take root, and grow in the dark for a long time.

She didn't say anything, and Pei Wenxuan was a little flustered: "Your Highness?"

Pei Wenxuan became embarrassed as he spoke: "Your Highness must be tired, so let's not chat anymore. I'm sorry for disturbing you, Your Highness, please sleep..."

"I think you're great."

Li Rong suddenly spoke, and Pei Wenxuan was stunned. Li Rong turned her back to him and said softly, "I'm not blind. Do you think I would be moved no matter who I married in my last life?"

"I think you are very good. You are good-looking, good-tempered, considerate, gentle and caring."

"You have interesting tastes and know a lot. You always take first place in the six arts of a gentleman. You are good at everything that is popular among the nobles."

"You learn everything quickly. The first time you drew my eyebrows, they were crooked, but within a month, you could even do my makeup. The first time you tied my hair, it pulled my scalp so hard that it hurt, but later on, there was no hairstyle you couldn't do."

"Although you are sentimental and indecisive, that's because you value feelings. If a husband, a friend, or a family member were all like me, taking everything lightly and letting go, then the relationship would always lack something."

"Pei Wenxuan," Li Rong said as she watched the moonlight fall into the room, and she couldn't help but laugh, "You're actually very nice."

Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything, he just listened to Li Rong's words, at that moment, he felt infinite courage, he finally realized.

He couldn't let go.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness."

He spoke softly. Li Rong was a little surprised: "Why are you..."

Before she could finish her words, the person behind her suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.

They were pressed tightly together, Li Rong's whole body was stiff, Pei Wenxuan hugged her very tightly, as if he wanted to rub her into his bones and blood.

Li Rong felt that she was completely surrounded by him, and all her senses were infinitely magnified in the night.

His breath, his touch, his hands locked around her waist, everything about him, were felt multiple times in her world.

Her heart was beating fast, and somehow she thought of their wedding night.

The red tent is like waves, and the brocade quilt is like waves.

Pei Wenxuan sensed her mood change and knew about her body changes. He relaxed his hands slightly and half raised his body to cover her ears. His low and hoarse voice brushed past her earlobe, fell into her ear canal, and penetrated into her mind. Somehow, it aroused a tingling sensation in her.

"Rongrong," he called her name, his usually clear voice was a little hoarse, Li Rong's head was buzzing, it was a little difficult to think, and then she heard him say with a bit of depression, "I feel sad, I want to hug you, okay?"

Li Rong found it difficult to think. She did not respond, but she did not resist either. Pei Wenxuan tightened his arms and buried his head in her neck.

"Rongrong," he said softly, "I don't want to let go. I won't let go, okay?"

Author's words: Pei Wenxuan: "From today on, I am Pei Wenxuan."