Ji Zhuo frowned slightly: "But am I putting pressure on you by doing this?"
“No, Ah Zhuo.” Lin Xihe gently shook her head, looking at Ji Zhuo with tender yet firm eyes. “With you protecting me, I feel especially at ease.”
As soon as Lin Xihe finished speaking, the baby in the cradle next to her suddenly cried out, the tender cry being particularly clear in the quiet room.
"Oh, don't cry, don't cry, Tangbao is good..." Lin Xihe quickly bent down and gently and quickly hugged Tangbao in her arms, coaxing her softly while gently rocking her body, her face full of love.
Looking at the scene before him, Ji Zhuo felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.
He felt that the scene before him was somewhat incongruous. Lin Xihe still had the naivety and innocence of a young girl, but she was already holding Tang Bao, who had just been born, in her arms.
After being held in Lin Xihe's arms, Tang Bao felt comforted by her mother. Before the wet nurse arrived, the crying gradually stopped. Her little face still had wet tears on it, but her eyes were already looking around curiously.
Ji Zhuo couldn't help but stand up, walk up to Lin Xihe, stare intently into Tang Bao's round eyes, his gaze full of affection, and softly ask, "Can I hug her?"
Lin Xihe looked up, nodded gently, and carefully handed Tang Bao to Ji Zhuo. Then she carefully adjusted Ji Zhuo's posture and whispered, "Be careful, support her head."
Looking at the man in front of her, Lin Xihe felt a warm feeling welling up in her heart.
In her heart, if there was anyone who could be good to her child, besides the few people who had shared life and death with her, it would only be Ji Zhuo.
At this moment, looking at Ji Zhuo holding Tang Bao, she felt a rare sense of peace.
Tang Bao was unusually well-behaved in Ji Zhuo's arms, her little body curled up quietly, her eyes fixed on Ji Zhuo, and she occasionally made "smacking" sounds.
“She looks just like you.” Ji Zhuo’s face was full of gentle smiles, his eyes full of doting: “Especially those eyes, so big and bright, just like yours.”
Lin Xihe did not respond to Ji Zhuo's words. Instead, she pursed her lips slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly asked, "How are things between you and Miss Sun?"
"The engagement has been called off."
Ji Zhuo paused slightly, then lowered his head, staring into Lin Xihe's eyes, trying to catch a trace of emotion in her gaze: "She took the initiative to report to His Majesty."
Lin Xihe didn't seem too surprised upon hearing this, as if she had expected it, and asked, "What's the reason?"
“I have evidence that her father was involved in buying and selling official positions.” A hint of disdain flashed in Ji Zhuo’s eyes. “If she loses her family background, she’s probably nothing. I suppose she weighed the pros and cons and chose to break off the engagement with me to keep her father’s official position.”
Recalling what had happened before, Ji Zhuo's eyes turned somewhat cold: "At first, she was unwilling to break off the engagement. I had her locked up for more than ten days before she finally relented."
Ji Zhuo's gaze returned to Lin Xihe's face, and he slowly said, "Xi'er, I'm doing all this for myself. If I can't marry the person I love, I won't marry. Marrying someone I don't like will only ruin her life; marrying someone I hate will probably make my reputation as a wife-killer spread throughout the capital in no time. I won't force you anymore, so please stop running away?"
Lin Xihe lowered her head slightly, not daring to look Ji Zhuo directly in the eye, and gently teased Tang Bao's little hand with her finger: "Zhuo, do you like her? My daughter."
Ji Zhuo was taken aback by Lin Xihe's question, as if he hadn't expected her to ask this question suddenly: "I like the children you give birth to. I like any child you give birth to."
Lin Xihe bit her lip, took a deep breath, as if summoning immense courage: "Could you help me take care of her?"
"What's the meaning?"
Ji Zhuo's heart sank suddenly, a bad premonition welled up in his mind. He stared intently at Lin Xihe, his eyes filled with doubt and unease: "Why do you ask that?"
“Gu Qinghuai encountered danger in Nanzhao. I suppose you know about this.” Lin Xihe slowly raised her head, looking at Ji Zhuo with a firm gaze. “I know he’s not dead. I want to go find him.”
Ji Zhuo had gone to great lengths to find her last time, and if she were to run away without a word again, she didn't know what would become of him. So she decided to be honest with Ji Zhuo.
Upon hearing this, Ji Zhuo was struck dumb, frozen in place, speechless for a long time.
He was filled with mixed feelings; he had always known about Lin Xihe's deep affection for Gu Qinghuai.
Before coming, he still held a sliver of hope, thinking that Lin Xihe had chosen him as a second choice because Gu Qinghuai was no longer there.
Even so, he was willing to do it. As long as Lin Xihe was willing to stay by his side, he would agree to anything.
But he never expected it to turn out like this.
"Ah Zhuo, I know this is despicable." Lin Xihe gently placed her hand on Ji Zhuo's hand, raised her eyes, her gaze full of pleading and helplessness: "But besides you, I really have no one else to entrust with my life."
Ji Zhuo felt as if his heart had been violently clenched, the pain almost making it hard for him to breathe.
He slowly lowered his eyes, looking at the woman in front of him whom he both loved and hated, and said in a hoarse voice, "I really hate you, Lin Xihe."
"Help me, Ah Zhuo."
Lin Xihe's eyes filled with tears, and crystal tears slid down her cheeks. "I knew it would hurt you before I made this decision, but I had no other choice. I wasn't confident I could come back alive, but I couldn't just watch Qinghuai die there."
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