The emperor couldn’t help but darken his face, asking incomprehensibly: “The Holy Lady of Jing Yue Kingdom is not only beautiful but also intelligent. What exactly are you dissatisfied with? Why won’t you agree?”
Qi Chen Xuan’s face was cold, and he replied coolly: “This son is not dissatisfied, just doesn’t want to wrong the Holy Lady!”
“What does that mean?”
The emperor became even more confused: “The Holy Lady of Jing Yue Kingdom becoming the crown prince’s consort is a perfect match. How could you say it would be wronging her?”
Qi Chen Xuan calmly corrected: “Father Emperor is mistaken. This son already has a suitable candidate for crown princess. If the Jing Yue Holy Lady must marry this son, she can only be a side consort, which would indeed be wronging her!”
The emperor couldn’t help but furrow his brow in doubt: “A suitable candidate for crown princess? Which family’s daughter is she? Why has Father Emperor never heard you mention her before?”
Qi Chen Xuan first turned to look at me, then lightly curled his lips and smiled: “Father Emperor knows this person!”
……
Is he truly foolish or just pretending?
Sure enough, he immediately stretched out his hand, pushing me in front of everyone, and said something shocking: “That person is her. This son plans to elevate Mo’er to the main position soon!”
I blinked in confusion, asking puzzledly: “What problem can’t be asked here?
Qi Chenxuan ignored me, directly turning to the Emperor and requesting: “Father Emperor, please allow this son to take his leave with Mo’er. I will find a way to resolve the marriage alliance myself. Father Emperor need not worry!”
The Emperor lightly nodded and said: “Go! You are the son your father values most. I believe you can distinguish priorities and have the ability to solve problems. I hope you won’t disappoint your father!”
“Qi Chenxuan, what exactly are you doing?”
As soon as we returned to the Prince’s Manor, I impatiently broke free from Qi Chenxuan’s hand, frowning and questioning: “Why won’t you agree to marry Qinghan? Didn’t you always want to marry her?”
Qi Chenxuan ignored me, walking inside directly: “My affairs are none of your business!”
I hurriedly caught up, blocking him: “I don’t want to care about you either. Now, please return my bracelet. Who you marry is your business, and I absolutely won’t ask another word!”
Qi Chenxuan coolly responded with two words: “No!”
I raised my voice in disbelief: “What did you say? Why is it gone? Didn’t you say you didn’t bring it, that it was left in the manor? I don’t care; I want you to go find it right now!”
“
That guy impatiently pulled at his lips, coldly answering: “I said I didn’t bring it with me, but I didn’t say it was left in the manor!”
I suppressed my urge to strangle him, trying to remain calm: “What’s the difference? If you didn’t bring it and it’s not in the manor, where’s my bracelet? Where exactly did you put it?”
Qi Chenxuan finally looked up, facing me with an indifferent expression: “Lost!”
“What?”
A voice distorted by extreme anger broke the silence of the Prince’s Manor. I instinctively grabbed his collar, screaming hysterically: “Do you know how important that thing is to me? How can you just say you lost it?”
Qi Chenxuan responded carelessly: “It’s just a broken stone bracelet. What’s the big deal? If you like it, I can give you a hundred!”
For the first time in my life, I had the impulse to kill, then glared at him: “I don’t want a hundred. I just want that one. Tell me, where exactly did you lose it?”
Qi Chenxuan’s thin lips moved slightly, and after a long while, he reluctantly uttered two words: “Cherry Garden!”
I didn’t care about his expression, and upon hearing his answer, immediately let go and ran wildly towards the West Courtyard…
If I say, I like you
What was important in his life, I could no longer care about, with only one belief in my heart: find the bracelet, find the key to possibly returning to the modern world!
At some point, a misty rain began to fall from the sky. I frantically searched every corner of the Cherry Garden.
The sky gradually darkened. Just as I had searched every corner of the Cherry Garden without finding anything, Qi Chenxuan appeared before me again, angrily grabbing my wrist: “Enough, stop looking. Do you want to make yourself sick?”
I forcefully broke free from his hand, turning away in anger: “Don’t worry about me!”
If he hadn’t inexplicably lost my things, why would I be here in the rain?
Qi Chenxuan again tightly held my shoulders: “Do you really want to go back so much?”
I bit my lip stubbornly, answering firmly: “Yes!”
“What if…”
After struggling for a moment, he suddenly seemed to make up his mind, looking at me seriously: “What if I say I like you and want you to stay?”
My heartbeat skipped a beat. I nervously averted my gaze: “Don’t, don’t joke around!”
Wasn’t he always in love with Qinghan?
Qi Chenxuan turned my face, forcing me to look into his eyes: “I’m not joking. I truly like you!”
His expression was so serious, his black eyes bottomless, like a whirlpool attracting you deeper, no matter how hard you try, you can’t escape!
I stood there as if struck by lightning, frozen in place, unable to react for a long time.
Qi Chenxuan pulled me, quickly rushing towards the bamboo house. Seeing me slightly trembling, he instinctively reached out his hand, but I swatted it away when he was about to touch the buttons on my chest, then crossed my arms and warily looked at him, asking: “What are you going to do?”
Qi Chenxuan’s thin lips tightened, his face looking somewhat ugly as he said: “Besides helping you change clothes, what else do you think I could do?”
I immediately turned around, refusing: “No need, I’m going to continue looking for my bracelet!”
Qi Chenxuan couldn’t help but get angry, gritting his teeth and glaring at me: “Fei Xiaoran, did you hear what I said? I said you’re not allowed to look for any bracelet, and you’re not allowed to go back to that modern world. Did you understand?”
I immediately covered my ears and shook my head, avoiding: “Don’t understand, don’t understand, don’t understand…”
Qi Chenxuan forcefully pulled my hands away, forcing me to face him: “Today, no matter what, I must make it clear to you. The person I like is you, just you. I won’t let you mess around with red threads and push me to someone else!”
I couldn’t help but clench my fists, trying to remain calm: “Qi Chenxuan, stop causing a scene. The person you’ve always liked is Qinghan, always her!”
I’m just an intruder who doesn’t belong here, doesn’t belong to him, and will eventually leave…
Our encounter was a mistake from the beginning, and I’m trying hard to correct it. Only by leaving and him marrying Qinghan would that be the right ending.
“I’m serious. Qinghan and I are already in the past. Before, I didn’t understand, but after meeting you, I realized that my feelings for her were just a youthful impulse and unwillingness to be abandoned. That wasn’t true love!”
What is love?
I bit my lower lip, making a final struggle: “How can you be sure this isn’t just a momentary impulse towards me? I’m not as pretty as her, not as smart, and can’t compare to her in any way. How could you possibly like me?”
Qi Chenxuan slightly raised the corner of his lips, smiling and answering: “It’s precisely because of this that I can be sure the person I love… is you!”
…
“What do you mean?” I don’t understand!
Qi Chenxuan seriously looked into my eyes, word by word: “You know you can’t compare to her in any way, yet I still want to be with you and don’t want to let you go. Doesn’t this prove that I love you?”
No, I don’t believe it.
I shook my head, “If you don’t like her, why keep the Cherry Garden, her paintings? Why meet her, send her flowers?”
