The moonlight, like water, flowed quietly through the courtyard of Kunning Palace, casting long shadows of the two figures, as if they were about to blend into the gentle night.
"It's good to have you here."
Lin Wanwan's smiling reply was like the gentlest spring breeze, instantly dispelling the last trace of gloom in Xiao Che's heart. Looking into her eyes, which shone brilliantly in the moonlight, and at the genuine, radiant smile on her lips, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense due to lingering fear, finally settled back into a calm and peaceful state.
The two smiled at each other, and all their heaviness and worries seemed to vanish temporarily in that moment of mutual understanding.
At this moment, they were not an emperor and empress scheming in the court, but just two ordinary men and women who, after going through a life-or-death ordeal, finally found each other, leaning on each other for warmth.
Lin Wanwan's heart was filled with an unprecedented and immense sense of satisfaction. She raised her head and subconsciously looked up at the top of Xiao Che's head.
She wanted to find that familiar area of emojis that could put her at ease and represent his true feelings.
That place was once her greatest source of joy in this cold palace, and also her "mind-reading artifact" for survival. She had seen the trembling emoji representing his insincerity, the gossipy expression of him secretly supporting her with the shout of "Take her on! Don't back down!", the blissful look of him being conquered by food with the gleeful expression of "So delicious it glows.", and also the terrifying skull emoji and the heartbreaking "Thank goodness you're alright" emoji of him at the brink of death.
There, like a kaleidoscope, it reflected all of the emperor's truest and most unknown emotions—his cunning, his scheming, his arrogance, his anger, his lingering fear, and... his clumsy tenderness that he never uttered aloud.
However, when Lin Wanwan's gaze fell on that area again, she was stunned.
There was nothing there.
No, it's not empty.
All...all the emojis have disappeared.
All those comments that had once flooded her screen like bullet comments, representing his complex and ever-changing emotions—his complaints, schemes, cunning, anger—had vanished without a trace, as if gently wiped away by an invisible hand.
That area became purer and cleaner than ever before.
Instead, there is a...
A gigantic, almost all-encompassing, constantly and gently bubbling pink bubbles... dynamic heart.
That heart wasn't the bright red of the one from before when my heart was broken, but a warm, soft pink, like cherry blossoms in spring. It beat quietly and powerfully there, and with each beat, adorable pink bubbles would slowly rise from it, then dissipate into the air.
The scene was warm, pure, and beautiful beyond compare.
Lin Wanwan's breath almost stopped the moment she saw the heart.
What does this mean?
The moment this question arose in her mind, she saw, in the very center of the heart that was constantly bubbling with pink bubbles, two familiar, star-like characters slowly and gently appeared—
[Heart-fluttering.gif]
There were no more complicated calculations, no more unnecessary tests, and no more hypocrisy born of insecurity.
All the complex and ever-changing emotions of the past fade away at this moment, ultimately settling into this purest, most primal, and most unmaskable... ultimate state.
It's love at first sight.
It wasn't liking, it wasn't caring, and it wasn't being moved.
Rather, it was a feeling of being moved.
It is a resonance deep within the soul that has finally settled after transcending life and death, washing away all worldly imperfections, and experiencing countless trials, suspicions, protections, and sacrifices.
boom--!
In Lin Wanwan's mind, it was as if the most dazzling fireworks exploded!
At that moment, she felt as if she were drunk. Not because of the light osmanthus wine, but because of the enormous, pink-bubbling "heart-fluttering" GIF in front of her.
She was completely struck by this most straightforward, pure, and sweet "confession."
It turns out that deep within the emperor's unfathomable heart, he harbored such pure and beautiful feelings for her.
Lin Wanwan smiled.
As she laughed, tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes.
There was emotion, satisfaction, and above all, a tremendous sense of peace that came after countless trials and tribulations, when everything finally settled down.
She knew that whatever she would face in the future—whether it was a powerful regent, like a final boss, or unknown dangers and conspiracies…
It doesn't matter anymore.
As long as this feeling of attraction remains, they have nothing to fear.
Because they will be each other's strongest support, sharpest weapon, and warmest harbor.
She took the initiative to reach out and grasp the warm and strong hand of the man beside her.
Xiao Che was slightly taken aback, then turned his hand over and tightly wrapped her soft little hand in his palm, their fingers intertwined.
The two remained silent, sitting side by side under the century-old osmanthus tree, gazing together at the unknown, stormy future enclosed by the high walls of the palace.
The moonlight, like water, stretched the two figures, clinging tightly together, long, very long, as if for eternity.
(End of Volume 2)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com