The air inside the tent seemed to be ignited by that incredibly natural and intimate gesture, becoming scalding and viscous, with every speck of dust seemingly imbued with an ambiguous atmosphere.
Time stretched out infinitely at this moment, so quiet that you could hear each other's disordered heartbeats and sudden rapid breathing.
Xiao Che's fingers were still on Lin Wanwan's lips, the soft, warm touch like a tiny, magical flame, burning along his fingertips, along the meridians of his arm, all the way to the deepest part of his heart. An unprecedented, unfamiliar tingling sensation instantly spread throughout his body, making this usually calm and composed emperor, who viewed everything as a pawn, experience for the first time what it meant to be at a loss.
For a rare moment, his mind went completely blank. He forgot the distinction between ruler and subject, and the proper etiquette between emperor and empress. All that remained in his eyes were her clear, doe-like eyes, slightly widened in shock.
In the end, he was the first to realize the truth.
As if branded with the hottest iron, Xiao Che abruptly withdrew his hand, the movement so fast it even created a barely perceptible breeze. He stood up abruptly, and to cover his sudden loss of composure, he turned around almost awkwardly, his back to Lin Wanwan, and strode quickly to the tent entrance in a manner that resembled an escape.
He lifted a corner of the heavy tent curtain, letting the cold night wind, carrying the scent of grass and trees, blow fiercely against his burning cheeks, trying to use the coolness to extinguish the unfamiliar heat that had inexplicably risen from the bottom of his heart.
Lin Wanwan was still leaning against the soft couch, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the corner of her mouth where he had just touched her. There, the rough touch of his calloused fingers and the heart-pounding heat seemed to linger. Her heart was beating fast and wildly, like a startled rabbit, pounding wildly in her chest, and her cheeks were uncontrollably burning slightly.
That ambiguous scene just now was like the sharpest wedge, driving deep into the invisible, intangible, yet ever-present, unspoken barrier between the two of them, and shattering it completely.
An awkward and subtle silence fell over the tent.
Xiao Che's tall figure stood silently at the tent entrance, like a silent sculpture, separating the starlight outside from the candlelight inside. The wind outside blew his dark robes, making them flutter loudly, which only accentuated the deathly silence inside the tent.
Lin Wanwan had no idea what he was thinking. Was he angry at his own loss of composure? Or was he savoring the sudden intimacy they had just shared? Or had he already moved on from that moment of ambiguity and begun to reconsider that fatal question about the "secret"?
She dared not think about it, nor did she know what to say to break the suffocating silence.
Just when she thought this awkward situation would continue until someone came to report on matters, Xiao Che's deep, slightly hoarse voice slowly came from the tent entrance.
“Everyone has secrets,” he said. “Even I have secrets.”
His voice no longer carried its usual coolness, nor the panic of moments before. It was a deep, resolute calm, the calm that had finally settled after a violent inner storm.
Lin Wanwan's heart skipped a beat; she knew he was about to give her answer.
Xiao Che didn't turn around, still facing away from her, as if he were talking to the deep night outside the tent, or as if he were revealing his feelings to her. His voice drifted clearly into her ears on the night breeze.
“I don’t care where your ‘intuition’ comes from, nor do I care who you are.”
His words were like a key, unlocking the deepest barrier in his heart—the barrier of imperial authority, built upon countless suspicions and precautions. He revealed his final decision to her without reservation.
"All I know is that in the forest, it was your 'intuition' that saved my life."
He didn't say "she saved us," but rather "she saved me." This subtle difference in word choice clearly shows that, in his heart, her actions at that time were not self-rescue, but a pure, selfless sacrifice and protection.
As he said this, he slowly, very slowly, turned around.
The candlelight inside the tent danced like two bright, warm flames in his deep eyes. He gazed intently at her, his eyes devoid of any scrutiny or suspicion, filled only with an unprecedented, profound trust and acceptance. He looked at her as if she were a priceless treasure that had been lost and found again.
His words, spoken with absolute force, were like metal striking stone, carrying the weight of an emperor's promise:
"So, Lin Wanwan, I grant your secret."
"boom--!"
These words, like the warmest torrent, instantly washed away all of Lin Wanwan's unease, defensiveness, and fear!
She was deeply, deeply moved by his words!
She had imagined countless possibilities. He might continue to press her, he might harbor resentment, he might confine her to observe her closely. She had even prepared for the worst: that their relationship would regress to square one, or even worse.
But she never expected that his final answer would be like this.
He didn't pry, he didn't suspect or doubt; he chose to accept it.
He accepted her difference with an almost indulgent and absolute attitude, accepted the unspeakable secret she had, and, as an emperor, gave her the strongest protection and promise!
"Your secret is granted."
These six simple words carried more weight and reassured her more deeply than any flowery sweet talk. They meant he was willing to entrust his back to someone he couldn't fully understand. For an emperor, this trust was heavier than Mount Tai!
Lin Wanwan stared blankly at the man in front of her, and for the first time felt that whether or not he had that meme above his head that could see into people's hearts seemed to be less important.
Because she knew that from this moment on, this man had decided to give her all his trust without reservation.
She subconsciously looked up at that familiar area that reflected his true inner self.
There, everything was dazzling and magnificent, so much so that she could hardly open her eyes.
There are no more funny patterns, no more cynical remarks, and no more images representing pain and struggle.
Instead, there was a magnificent, golden imperial crown made of pure light!
That crown, majestic and sacred, floated silently, radiating an unparalleled brilliance befitting the supreme ruler, a light that dared not be looked at directly.
However, the next second, a scene appeared that made Lin Wanwan's breath catch in her throat.
Above that golden crown, slowly and carefully, rose a small, exquisitely crafted phoenix crown, also formed from gathered light!
That golden crown is crowning that tiny phoenix coronet!
It was as if an emperor was using his supreme power and glory to personally place the crown on his empress's head, a crown symbolizing her unique status and endless favor!
This scene, though silent, speaks volumes.
Below that heartwarming yet breathtaking scene, a small line of text floats, filled with boundless affection and pride:
【My Queen.jpg】
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