As the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds and quietly climbed onto the glazed tiles of Kunning Palace, the inner chambers remained serene.
Lin Wanwan slowly woke up amidst a hangover-like soreness and exhaustion.
Last night... that "sweet punishment" that came three days late was really... a bit too intense.
She felt like a small boat that had been tossed about in a stormy sea all night, her whole body, every bone in her body, was aching from being completely crushed.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly a few times, and then, slowly, she opened her eyes.
What came into view was Xiao Che's magnified, incomparably handsome sleeping face.
He was fast asleep, one arm still wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly in his embrace.
The morning light, filtering through the bright yellow gauze curtains, softly bathed his face, gilding his sharply defined features with a warm golden edge.
Gone is his usual sternness and aloofness. In his sleep, he looks like a harmless, handsome young man, even his tightly pursed lips seem to have a hint of satisfaction in their curve.
Lin Wanwan's heart softened instantly.
This is... the first morning after the reconciliation.
There are no more secrets, no more suspicions, no more that invisible barrier called "emojis".
This was the first time since she "went blind" that she faced him "without any burden" in a truly meaningful way.
However, the next second, a habit almost ingrained in her bones still made her subconsciously shift her gaze to the top of his head...
It was completely empty there.
Apart from the morning light and a few... well, a few strands of hair that were sleeping a little restlessly, there was nothing else.
Lin Wanwan's heart tightened uncontrollably.
A subtle, familiar sense of loss crept into my heart.
Although rationally she had accepted this fact, and even prepared herself to start a "new mode" with him.
However, emotional dependence is not so easy to break.
She would still... subconsciously, want to take a look.
I wonder if his dreams are sweet or... troubled by court affairs.
Just as she was feeling a mix of emotions, the pair of phoenix eyes in front of her, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened without warning.
Their eyes met.
Lin Wanwan's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no! I got caught peeping!
Feeling a little guilty, she tried to look away, only to find that Xiao Che's eyes, still slightly moist from just waking up, were staring straight at her.
wrong……
Lin Wanwan belatedly realized that his eyes were perfectly clear, without the slightest trace of the drowsiness one might expect from someone who had just woken up.
This guy... he was awake a long time ago?!
Was he pretending to be asleep just now?!
Once she understood this, Lin Wanwan's cheeks instantly burned.
So, he saw all of that infatuated look on her face as she stared at his sleeping face?!
This is utterly ridiculous! It's a massive social disaster!
"Good morning...good morning..." Lin Wan-wan was so embarrassed that she didn't know where to put her hands and feet, and could only squeeze out a dry greeting.
However, Xiao Che's reaction was completely unexpected.
As is customary, this proud emperor should have already resumed his aloof and unapproachable demeanor, and then calmly get up, change his clothes, and prepare to attend the morning court session.
But today, he didn't.
He remained holding her, motionless.
Those deep phoenix eyes just stared straight at her.
Then, under Lin Wanwan's astonished gaze, a suspicious, faint blush appeared on his fair and handsome face at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It started from the neck and spread all the way to the base of the ear.
He...he's shy?!
Just as Lin Wanwan was about to speak and ask something to break the awkward atmosphere, Xiao Che suddenly spoke up before her.
His voice was slightly hoarse from just waking up, and like his expression, it was extremely stiff. It sounded like... like a primary school student who was so nervous about performing on stage for the first time that he was almost moving his hands and feet together, reciting a text.
"I……"
He paused, seemingly struggling to organize his thoughts, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously.
"...I'm very happy."
Lin Wanwan: "...What?"
She was completely stunned.
First thing in the morning, out of the blue, he says, "I am very happy"?
Is this...is this some new interactive code?
She was momentarily speechless.
Seeing her looking at him blankly, Xiao Che seemed to realize that his opening remarks were... too abrupt.
His face turned even redder.
He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly, his gaze unconsciously shifting, unable to meet her eyes again.
He looked exactly like a pure-hearted boy who had mustered up his courage to confess his feelings, but was so nervous that he couldn't speak coherently.
He seemed to be trying hard to recall what he had promised her last night—"I am your meme."
So, he braced himself and continued with that stiff, reciting tone, devoid of any emotion, to deliver his first-ever "straightforward" good morning greeting.
“Last night,” he said quickly, as if afraid that if he spoke too slowly he would back out at the last minute, “I… was very happy.”
After saying that, he felt that it wasn't enough.
Then, his wandering gaze drifted back to Lin Wanwan's face, looking her up and down.
Then, as if he had finally found new "reporting" material, he immediately added:
"Also, you...you look very well today."
He seemed to feel that this adjective was not enough to express his true feelings.
So he solemnly emphasized it again.
"...It's very beautiful."
After saying that, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and stood there frozen, motionless, even unconsciously holding his breath.
Lin Wanwan was completely knocked unconscious by his sudden "direct attack".
What...what did she hear?
This man, this arrogant tyrant to the core, treats even a simple compliment to her like the death knell for his emperor…
To think that, so early in the morning, he would so...so bluntly praise her as "very beautiful"!
And... and he said it twice?!
Lin Wanwan's mind went completely blank for a moment, with only three words frantically scrolling across the screen.
Who am I? Where am I? What happened?
She just stood there, dumbfounded, staring at him with her mouth agape, completely forgetting how to react.
After saying "It looks great," Xiao Che waited for a long time but didn't receive a response from Lin Wanwan.
He saw her staring at him in shock, speechless for a long time.
Did he...did he say something wrong?
Was it... too abrupt?
Or perhaps... his way of praising people was so clumsy that she found it ridiculous?
A tremendous, indescribable sense of embarrassment instantly swept over his entire body.
His face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed.
He couldn't stay any longer!
The next second, under Lin Wanwan's still shocked gaze, His Majesty the Emperor, who had just made his "direct declaration," suddenly leaped out of bed!
His movements were so flustered that they even appeared somewhat uncoordinated.
He rushed behind the screen, almost fleeing, with his hands and feet moving in unison.
Only one hurried sentence remained, spoken in a slightly choked voice due to extreme embarrassment:
"I...I'm going to the morning court!"
Seeing the Emperor's disheveled figure, which looked like he was "fleeing in panic" and seemed to say "I can't take it anymore, I'm so embarrassed," Lin Wanwan, who was still lying in bed, was stunned for three seconds.
Then……
"Pfft—"
She couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Immediately afterwards, the laughter became uncontrollable and echoed throughout the entire bedchamber.
Haha, so cute!
How can this man be so adorable!
Lin Wanwan hugged the quilt and rolled around on the dragon bed, laughing so hard she could barely move.
So, without emojis, this is what he looks like!
Clumsy, shy, yet... incredibly sincere.
As she laughed, a hint of moisture welled up in the corners of her eyes.
She suddenly felt that life without emojis was... more interesting?
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