"I will stay in the Imperial Study tonight."
These words were like a red-hot iron rod, branding Lin Wanwan's heart with a sizzling, bloody wound.
pain.
The pain was so intense that it felt as if the blood in her body had frozen.
If her previous actions had only caused her doubt and unease, then this statement was the final, irrefutable judgment.
Refusing a gift is because of a guilty conscience.
The reason for rejecting intimacy is "boredom".
And he stayed overnight in the Imperial Study...
It's blatant "escape"!
He couldn't face her! He wanted to escape this suffocating place! He wanted to go to a space without her, a space where he could breathe freely!
This chain of logic, which she had built herself and was filled with tragic elements, was perfectly closed at this moment.
All the evidence points to the same conclusion—
He doesn't love her anymore.
He really doesn't love her anymore.
"boom--!"
Lin Wanwan felt as if her world had completely collapsed at that moment.
Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, devoid of any color. Her almond-shaped eyes, which had previously held a hint of hope and a sob, were now nothing but lifeless ashes.
She could even feel that her heartbeat had stopped.
Xiao Che, who had just finished speaking, was also stunned.
He simply felt that the case of the Vice Minister of Revenue's treason was far too serious and involved far too many people. He had to immediately summon his trusted ministers overnight to devise a meticulous arrest plan, leaving no room for error.
He stayed in the Imperial Study only to facilitate official business.
This was a perfectly normal decision made by an emperor based on work requirements.
But……
When he saw Lin Wanwan's face, which had instantly lost all color and seemed to have had its soul ripped out, his brain, which was filled with "work" and was usually a steel-willed straight man, finally, belatedly, sounded an "alarm."
He said the wrong thing.
He seems to have... said the wrong thing again.
He looked into her empty, seemingly fragile eyes and felt a sudden, inexplicable panic.
He didn't know exactly what he said wrong, but he could sense that something was wrong, even though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"I...I mean..."
He opened his mouth, trying to explain awkwardly.
He meant to say, "I mean the case is too difficult and needs to be dealt with overnight. I'm afraid it will disturb your rest."
However, before he could even finish organizing his explanation, Lin Wanwan across from him suddenly laughed.
It was an extremely eerie smile.
The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, forming a perfect, impeccable curve. But there was no smile in her eyes, only a cold, icy frost that could freeze a person.
Then, she moved.
She slowly stood up, took a step back, and then, facing him, performed a perfect curtsy that he had never seen before, a gesture that was textbook perfect.
Her skirt flared out in an elegant arc, her back was straight, and her head was slightly lowered, revealing a beautiful and delicate section of her neck.
Every movement was so precise, as if it had been measured with a ruler.
Perfect, yet distant.
"Your Majesty is very busy with state affairs and has many duties to attend to. It was my ignorance that disturbed Your Majesty."
Her voice rang out.
The voice was no longer the gentle, choked tone from before, but a tone even colder and calmer than his previous one. It was a tone that, after all emotions had been stripped away, left only a pure, formulaic propriety belonging to the Empress.
"Farewell to Your Majesty."
She remained kneeling, head bowed, as if he were not her husband, but a high and mighty king whom she needed to serve with utmost respect.
Her expression was even more "imperial" than his, the real emperor's.
"..."
Xiao Che was completely speechless at her smooth and perfect etiquette.
All the explanations he had come up with seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall.
Looking at her extremely respectful posture, at her lowered head that seemed to scream "rejection," an inexplicable fire suddenly surged up from the bottom of his heart!
What did he do wrong?!
He admitted that his attitude was bad yesterday afternoon, but didn't he already send a gift as an apology today?!
He admitted that he was somewhat absent-minded while eating, but that was because he was thinking about important matters concerning the safety of the country!
He is going to the Imperial Study now to deal with those parasites who have caused the ruin of thousands of families!
What exactly did he do wrong?!
Why did she suddenly become so strange and unpleasant?!
Xiao Che, this straight-laced man, finally got angry after completely failing in his skill of "coaxing his wife"!
He felt that he had done everything he could!
He felt that she was simply being unreasonable!
Looking at her cold profile and her stubborn posture that seemed to say, "I know I'm wrong, but I just won't change," the anger in his chest burned even brighter.
"good!"
He squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.
"Since you're so 'sensible,' you should just rest!"
He uttered those equally cold words, never looking at her again, and abruptly flicked his sleeve!
He really did turn away in a huff.
"Bang!"
The dining room door was slammed shut by an invisible gust of air, producing a dull thud.
It also completely turned Kunning Palace into an ice cellar.
Lin Wanwan slowly straightened up.
She stared at the closed door, and the "perfect" mask on her face finally began to crack, bit by bit.
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Finally, she couldn't hold on any longer and slumped back into her chair.
A scalding tear, without warning, slid down from her empty eyes, landing on the cold dining table and shattering into a desperate splash.
cold war.
here we go.
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