While Xiao Che was still immersed in the immense shock of his worldview being reshaped and his soul leaving his body, Lin Wanwan's tearful voice rang out again, abruptly pulling him back to reality from that chaotic state of mind.
"but!"
Her voice trembled from the intense emotional turmoil, carrying a sense of despair and brokenness.
"Ever since that time, when I kowtowed on the artificial hill in the Imperial Garden to save Tuanzi... it completely disappeared!"
These words were like a key, instantly unlocking all the chaotic clues in Xiao Che's mind.
He suddenly realized that all the conflicts between them started from that day!
From the day she woke up, she became... different.
Become sensitive, suspicious, and insecure.
And he, that idiot, thought she was just traumatized and had some lingering effects!
Looking at her tear-streaked face, at the unyielding pain and fear in her eyes, his heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by something, the pain almost making it hard for him to breathe.
After revealing all her secrets, Lin Wanwan completely lost control of her emotions.
The pent-up grievances, anxieties, suspicions, and despair of so many days erupted like a flood bursting its banks at this moment!
"You yelled at me!" She pointed at him, her voice shrill, as if accusing a heinous criminal. "That day in the Imperial Study, you yelled at me because of the case of the Vice Minister of Revenue, telling me to get out! Do you know that before that, whenever you got angry at those old fogies, there was always a 'Wife, save me.gif' floating above your head? But that day, I couldn't see it! I couldn't see anything! I could only see your cold face and impatient eyes! I thought... I thought you were tired of me!"
Xiao Che's heart was pierced by this accusation.
He remembered.
That day, he was truly overwhelmed, frustrated by the mess at the Ministry of Revenue. When she came in, his train of thought was interrupted, and he instinctively yelled at her.
But what was he thinking at that time?
He was thinking: This whole mess is so annoying. If only Wanwan could bring me a bowl of sweet soup to cheer me up like she used to...
So... so this is what "Wife, save me.gif" means?!
"And the gift you gave me!" Lin Wanwan became more and more agitated as she spoke, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls. "You inexplicably gave me a string of East China Sea pearls! I can't see anything, so I can only let my imagination run wild!"
"In the past, every time you gave me something, no matter how arrogant you looked, there would always be a golden 'Praise Me.gif' floating above your head!"
“But nothing happened that day! Nothing at all! You threw the things at me with a cold face and said, ‘This is a reward for you!’ What was I supposed to think? I could only think that you had done something to betray me outside, and that you were feeling guilty! That you were trying to make up for it!”
"puff--"
Xiao Che felt a sweet taste in his throat, and this time it was real; he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Feeling guilty?!
compensate? !
He swears to God! He noticed she had been in a bad mood these past few days, so he specially dug out his most treasured string of beads from his private treasury to try and cheer her up! He even practiced in front of the mirror several times on how to give it to her without seeming "deliberate," to convey the majesty of an emperor and... an unintentional display of affection!
As a result, in her view, it became a way to compensate for her guilty conscience after "cheating"?!
What kind of mess is this?!
"And! And the day we argued!" Lin Wanwan's emotions had completely collapsed. Like a helpless child, she cried out, shouting out all the deepest fears in her heart.
"You argue with me, saying I don't understand! Do you know that before that, no matter what political matters we discussed, even if we disagreed, as long as my plan made sense, a 'Wife is right.jpg' would eventually appear above your head!"
"But that day! That day I couldn't see anything!"
"I see no approval from you! All I hear is you saying, 'You don't understand!'"
“Those three words felt like knives! They made me feel like you had rejected everything about me! You thought I was only good at ‘interpreting pictures,’ that I was useless without that thing! I thought… I thought you would never ‘trust’ me again!”
Boom!
When Xiao Che heard the words "You don't believe me anymore," his brain felt as if it had been struck by a final bolt of lightning, leaving it scorched and cracked.
All the misunderstandings and all the problems finally formed a complete and clear logical loop at this moment.
He understood everything.
I understand completely now.
He finally understood why she had suddenly become so "unreasonable".
He finally understood why she had become hysterical because of a thoughtless remark he made.
He finally understood how much fear and despair lay hidden behind what he considered to be her "unreasonable" behavior.
It's not that she doesn't trust him.
She was... who lost the eyes that he trusted to "see".
That thing she called "emoji" was not only her "cheat code," but also her only "safety rope" in this deep palace, a way to confirm his feelings.
Now, that rope has broken.
She was suspended in mid-air, with a bottomless abyss below her. She couldn't see him or hear him. All her unease and panic stemmed from this.
And he, this self-righteous fool, not only failed to notice her predicament in time, but also pushed her further into the abyss with his own hands.
He remembered how she had been forcing herself to maintain the mask of a "perfect queen" these past few days, how she had feigned strength and distance, and how she had secretly cried silently under the covers...
An indescribable heartache, like the most turbulent tide, instantly overwhelmed his heart.
pain.
It hurts a thousand times, ten thousand times more than when I was first shot with an arrow.
Looking at the woman in front of him, who was crying so hard she was trembling and could barely stand, he felt no anger or grievance whatsoever.
All that remains is... endless regret and overwhelming heartache.
He wanted to go up to her, to hug her, to tell her that it wasn't like that.
But his feet felt like they were filled with lead, so heavy that he couldn't move.
Because he knew that, in her eyes, he was the "culprit" who was about to judge her.
After venting all her emotions, Lin Wanwan was also completely exhausted.
She was exhausted from crying, her body swaying precariously. Her red and swollen eyes stared blankly at him, filled with utter despair and lifelessness.
She said everything that should and shouldn't have been said.
She laid bare her biggest secrets, her most vulnerable weaknesses, and her ugliest suspicions before him.
Now, it's his turn.
It was his turn to deliver the final judgment.
She slowly closed her eyes, glistening teardrops still clinging to her long eyelashes.
She gave up all struggle, like a prisoner awaiting the guillotine, and with her last ounce of strength, whispered:
"This is... the whole truth."
“Xiao Che…”
Her voice was as soft as a sigh, yet as heavy as if it carried the weight of her entire world.
"You either... believe me..."
"Or..."
"...I'll cripple you."
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