Immediately afterwards, deafening thunder rumbled in, one after another, as if it would crack the heavens and earth.
Lin Xihe was startled by the thunder and got up to close the door.
Just then, she inadvertently glanced at another room and saw that the candlelight was flickering and had been lit.
Before she could react, the clear sound of a baby crying reached her ears.
It's Tangbao!
Lin Xihe's heart clenched suddenly. That was her precious child. The child's cries were like an invisible hand, tightly gripping her heartstrings.
She didn't have time to think, and her feet moved involuntarily toward the little house.
She ran so fast that the guards in the courtyard quickly noticed her movements.
Two guards rushed forward like arrows, blocking her way, and said in unison, "Miss, you can't go over there!"
Lang Feng had specifically instructed them to keep a close eye on this Miss Lin.
So even though it was raining heavily outside, they did not dare to slack off and remained at their posts.
"I'm not going in, I'll just look from the outside."
Lin Xihe felt helpless, watching them guard her like a prisoner.
She had run so fast at first that she wouldn't have gotten too wet, but now that she was stopped here and standing in the rain, it wasn't long before most of her body was soaked through, and the cold rain kept sliding down her hair.
"Young lady, please don't make things difficult for us. You should go back."
The guards remained resolute, showing no sign of wavering.
Lin Xihe looked into the house through the rain.
The wet nurse held Tangbao and gently coaxed her; her figure was clearly reflected on the windowsill in the candlelight.
Gradually, Tangbao's crying subsided, and she had clearly been soothed.
Upon seeing this, Lin Xihe hurriedly ran back.
When she reached the door, she was almost scared out of her wits. Ji Zhuo had already woken up and was standing quietly at the door, looking at her with cold eyes.
Lin Xihe patted her heaving chest, trying to calm her frightened emotions, then forced an awkward yet ingratiating smile: "Lord Ji... may I take a look at Tang Bao?"
"Why are you still here?" Ji Zhuo's voice still held lingering anger.
"I'm afraid if I leave, you won't let me in tomorrow," Lin Xihe said honestly, her eyes full of sincerity.
"Don't come in."
Ji Zhuo didn't say anything more, just coldly left those words behind, then turned and went back into the house.
His back looked somewhat lonely, and his steps were no longer as firm and powerful as usual, as if his energy had been drained, making him appear somewhat lost and dejected.
As Lin Xihe watched Ji Zhuo's departing figure, a wave of bitterness washed over her, and the pain slowly spread through her heart.
She recalled that before going to Nanzhao, she thought that if everything went smoothly upon her return, she would cast aside all her worries and wholeheartedly stay with Ji Zhuo.
But who could have predicted that in just four or five months, the world would have changed so drastically, and the two would seem to be separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, seemingly unreachable.
Perhaps this is fate's arrangement; they were destined to be together but ultimately separated.
Lin Xihe stood alone at the door, her clothes soaked through by the rain, clinging tightly to her body, the chill seeping into her bones through her skin.
Although it was summer, the cool night breeze, mixed with rain, still made her shiver with cold.
She slowly turned around, no longer looking into the room, but leaned against the half-closed door and slowly sat down on the ground.
Although she wasn't directly exposed to the heavy rain under the eaves, the raging wind seemed to be deliberately making things difficult for her, mixing with the rain and lashing at her head.
As she gazed at the torrential rain pouring down before her, her thoughts drifted away.
What if Ji Zhuo is determined not to return her daughter to her?
Gu Qinghuai is currently being targeted by the emperor and is walking on thin ice; he cannot withstand any more storms.
However, as Gu Qinghuai said, as long as the emperor needs him, there is still room for maneuver, and Gu Qinghuai's scheming is mostly for her sake.
She didn't want the two of them to have any more trouble.
These complicated matters had long weighed heavily on her heart, making her feel overwhelmed. Just thinking about Ji Zhuo's disgusted gaze made her feel as if a huge rock was pressing down on her chest, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Finally, she could no longer control her emotions and buried her head between her knees, trying to find some comfort in this small space.
But the sorrow, like a surging tide, continued to pour out from the cracks. She finally couldn't hold back and cried again, her sobs drowned out by the wind and rain, sounding so weak and helpless.
Two quarters of an hour passed quietly, and amidst the wind and rain, a soft sound of footsteps approached from afar.
Then, a familiar figure slowly squatted down in front of her.
Lin Xihe subconsciously raised her head, and through her teary eyes, she saw Ji Zhuo staring at her quietly.
The raging anger that once burned in his eyes had been extinguished, replaced by a complex and ambiguous tenderness and helplessness.
Ji Zhuo slowly reached out and stroked Lin Xihe's head. The warmth of his palm seemed to carry the power to penetrate wind and rain.
Lin Xihe looked up at Ji Zhuo, whose once bright eyes were now red and swollen from crying, filled with pitifulness and endless sorrow.
"Xi'er".
Hearing this long-lost address, Lin Xihe's tears flowed even more freely.
Ji Zhuo's hand slowly slid down from Lin Xihe's hair, gently wiping away the tears that kept flowing from her with his warm fingertips. All the defenses he had built up collapsed in the face of Lin Xihe's tears.
"I'm giving you one last chance: marry me. If you come with me, you can only have me. Can you do that?"
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