When Lin Wanwan uttered those resolute words, "Cripple me," the entire bedchamber fell into an almost frozen, deathly silence.
The only sounds in the air were her rapid breathing due to exhaustion, and the occasional soft crackling of the candle flame.
Lin Wanwan closed her eyes tightly, her body trembling slightly uncontrollably.
She was waiting.
She awaited the Damocles' sword, "Judgment," hanging over her head, to fall with a deafening crash.
Is it the wrath of thunder?
Was it the cold, hard word "Guards"?
Or... a simple "I know," followed by a turn and departure, utterly banishing her to the desolate Cold Palace, a place of utter despair?
She didn't know.
All she knew was that she had revealed all her cards. The rest was up to fate.
However, the expected rage and judgment did not come.
Time passed, second by second.
Every second felt like an eternity to her.
Just as she was about to collapse from the oppressive silence, a soft, hesitant footstep sounded.
One step, two steps...
Finally, it stopped in front of her.
Lin Wanwan's heart jumped into her throat instantly.
They've arrived.
The trial has finally arrived.
She could even feel the cool, acrid scent of ambergris from his dragon robe, mixed with his unique, intimately familiar aura, enveloping her.
She trembled even more violently.
Xiao Che was standing quietly in front of her, looking at her.
His brain was still working at high speed, trying to process the series of earth-shattering pieces of information he had just received.
Time traveler... meme... trembling... medicine is so bitter... don't back down when you confront her... wife, save me...
These absurd, bizarre, and even somewhat... shameful words flashed wildly through his mind like a revolving lantern.
He finally connected everything.
He remembered that she always managed to make the right response "just right" when he needed her most.
He recalled that she always managed to precisely avoid all the minefields he disliked, as if she could read his mind.
He recalled that when facing opponents of varying skill levels, such as Consort Shu and Consort Xian, she always seemed to be able to handle them with ease, as if... she had gained supernatural insight.
It turns out that none of this was a coincidence.
It turns out, she really did... gain a "third eye".
However, this "heavenly eye" was located on the top of his head.
After being utterly shocked, Xiao Che felt not even the slightest bit of anger, nor did he feel any sense of being "deceived".
Because he finally, and completely understood, another thing.
Something that hurt him even more than the "emoji" itself.
He finally understood all her "suspicion," all her "unreasonableness," and all her behavior that he found "unreasonable" these past few days...
The root cause is not at all the nonsense about "lack of security" that his late-stage "male chauvinist" brain analyzed.
Rather... she "lost her sense of security"!
Yes, she lost the only source of "security" that allowed her to confirm his feelings and find her way in this deep palace!
She was like a helmsman who was used to navigating in the dark with the help of a lighthouse, but one day, that lighthouse suddenly went out.
Beneath my feet lies a turbulent, unfathomable sea, and all around me is pitch-black darkness.
She would panic, feel lost, and see every wave as a sea monster that would devour her.
This is the truth behind all her unease!
When this realization clearly surfaced in Xiao Che's mind, an indescribable, sharp heartache instantly gripped his heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
His mind was uncontrollably filled with images from the past few days.
He recalled how, in an attempt to "please" her, he clumsily plucked a bunch of grass from the Imperial Garden... He thought it was "rustic" but it was actually just "foxtail grass," and arrogantly tossed it to her.
He remembered that, in order to "make up" for her, he had copied what he read in a storybook, picked up an eyebrow pencil, and drawn two lines on her face... a "masterpiece" that resembled caterpillars.
He even recalled that, to express his "apology," he had personally made a bowl of longevity noodles that was so salty it could kill a cow and so clumpy it could be used as a brick—a "dark cuisine" dish—and, with an expectant look on his face, forced her to eat it.
And what was her reaction at the time?
She accepted it all.
She held the bunch of foxtail grass, her face devoid of any smile.
With those two caterpillar-like eyebrows, she said expressionlessly, "It's really well drawn."
She even... she even ate the bowl of "poison" that even he himself couldn't stomach, bite by bite, with tears in her eyes, and said against her will... "It's delicious."
At the time, he just felt strange and thought she was clueless about romance.
But now, he understands everything!
In her eyes, none of what he did was an expression of "love"!
It's not just solid evidence of a guilty conscience, but also compensation for infidelity!
While enduring the immense pain of his "betrayal," she also had to force a smile and cooperate with his utterly ridiculous "apology" performance!
How much pain must she be in?
How desperate must one be?
Xiao Che's heart felt as if it were being pierced repeatedly by countless steel needles.
That arrogant idiot!
He's... the biggest idiot in the world!
He looked at Lin Wanwan, who was still trembling with her eyes closed, awaiting his judgment.
He couldn't hold back any longer.
There was no anger, no doubt, and certainly no judgment.
He slowly stretched out his arms, his movements carrying a kind of cautious clumsiness that even he himself was unaware of, and gently embraced the still trembling, frail body.
Lin Wanwan's body suddenly stiffened.
None of what she had anticipated happened.
There was no roar, no rebuke, not even a cold turn away.
There was only one... warm and familiar hug.
His embrace was still as broad as ever, carrying the scent of ambergris she so dearly cherished. But today, that embrace seemed… somewhat different.
With a slight tremor.
Lin Wan-wan was completely stunned. She froze in his arms, forgetting to cry and forgetting to breathe, her mind a complete blank.
What... what does this mean?
He...isn't angry?
Doesn't he think she's a monster?
Doesn't he feel like he's been deceived by a woman who can see right through him?
She trembled, and with all her might, she managed to utter a faint sound, as weak as a mosquito's buzz, from his embrace.
"you……"
"...Not angry?"
Xiao Che hugged her even tighter, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
He gently rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes.
Inside the bedchamber, only his hoarse, suppressed voice, filled with endless regret and heartache, could be heard slowly rising.
"I……"
His voice paused, as if he was trying his best to calm his surging emotions.
"...I just feel sorry for him."
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