The hand that Xiao Che held felt familiar and reassuringly warm.
Looking at the "Heartbeat.gif" with a giant bubble popping up above his head, Lin Wanwan finally burst into laughter after crying for a while.
That fool.
Even though she's so old, she still acts cute even when she's asleep.
She reached out her other hand, wiped away the tears on her face, and then, tightly, tightly, grasped his hand in return.
Their fingers are intertwined.
The lines on the palms, long since worn smooth by time, still fit together perfectly, as if they were meant to be this way from birth.
The last rays of the setting sun sank completely below the horizon.
Night fell completely.
A few scattered, twinkling stars rose in the sky.
The whole world fell silent.
Lin Wanwan's heart calmed down like never before.
All the shock, elation, and emotion... all the intense feelings, at this moment, settled into an incomparably profound and warm happiness.
She squatted there quietly, holding his hand, looking at his aged sleeping face, and above his head, the eternally flickering [heartbeat.gif].
Time seemed to lose its meaning at this moment.
After an unknown amount of time, she slowly, very slowly, straightened up.
Instead of sitting back in her rocking chair, she quietly, like a mischievous little girl, leaned close to his (the sleeping emperor emeritus) ear.
Her movements were gentle and full of longing.
It was just like that little empress from decades ago, on the night of the wedding, trembling with fear yet mustering all her courage, wanting to whisper something in his ear.
She brought her lips close to his ear, where he could barely hear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, a voice filled with laughter, like a lover's secret conversation:
"His Majesty……"
Her voice was as gentle as the moonlight tonight.
She paused, a sly glint in her eyes, as if she were having a final, private conversation using artificial voice packs.
"...You're 'pretending' to be asleep again, aren't you?"
After she finished speaking, she laughed first.
The laughter was very soft, carrying a hint of relief and endless doting.
“...It’s okay,” she said softly.
She knew that whether he was actually asleep or not no longer mattered.
She straightened up, took one last deep look at his peaceful sleeping face, and then, with all the tenderness and love in her life, softly uttered those words that began their lifelong bond and also drew the final line to their life's story...
"Your Majesty, your meme-worthy expression... has been revealed."
...
...
She stopped talking.
She simply and quietly, slowly, leaned against his rocking chair.
She gently rested her head on his shoulder, just as they had done countless days and nights before. This posture had long since become an instinct, a habit.
She held his hand, their fingers intertwined, transferring the warmth of their palms to each other.
Together, they quietly watched the setting sun, the countless stars, and the tranquil night sky that belonged to them.
He could not see the most magnificent scenery in the night sky.
And she kept that secret to herself.
Above his full head of silver hair, there was something that always sparkled, always bubbled with pink bubbles, something that belonged only to her…
The eternal [heartbeat.gif].
(The End)
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