newbobooks Chapter 276
Chapter 276
The moonlight is sparse, and the snow is a foot deep.
The dark sky and the snow shadows merged into one.
Nalan Jingwen rarely had time to be alone. In the two years since she returned to this continent, she has been surrounded by people almost all the time. One man after another has been by her side. Afraid that someone would feel neglected, she spends almost all her free time with them. Each one of them tugs at her heartstrings, making her uneasy and uneasy.
When there are too many people and things to do, it's easy to feel tired.
She rarely had the chance to sit quietly and enjoy the scenery. She casually threw on a coat and sat on the roof, letting the wind and snow rage and fall on her.
In the distance, the firelight was bright, and Pei Yundai's busy figure could be seen. The people knelt on the ground, all filled with gratitude.
I'm leaving Hongcheng tomorrow for the other three cities. Considering the journey, it should take at most three months to finish and return to the capital. Now that I have Nalan Yin by my side, I wonder if the others in the mansion will be unhappy.
Nalan Jingwen's thoughts drifted away until a figure landed beside him, his black clothes almost blending into the night.
"Owner."
Well, I can't be alone in peace and quiet again.
Nalan Jingwen withdrew her gaze and looked at him, her eyes indifferent.
"Figured out?"
Jingchi lowered his head, his expression unreadable.
"……Yes."
Nalan Jingwen shifted to a more comfortable position, waiting for him to continue.
Jingchi looked up at her, her clear blue eyes particularly beautiful in the night, as if shimmering with a mysterious dark light.
His handsome face was exceptionally resolute, his Adam's apple bobbed as if he were struggling with a decision, before he finally spoke slowly.
"Your subordinate... is in love with you..."
As if afraid of being blamed by Nalan Jingwen, or perhaps afraid that she would say something he could not accept, he immediately lowered his head and said, "Your subordinate knows that I have overstepped my bounds. I dare not ask for anything else, I only wish to stay by Your Highness's side and protect Your Highness's safety until death do me no regrets!"
After he finished speaking, he knelt there motionless, waiting for Nalan Jingwen to issue his final ultimatum.
Whatever it was, he accepted it.
Nalan Jing looked at him, speechless for a moment, his expression gloomy.
Jingchi felt that time had never been so long. Every minute and second he endured was like being slowly tortured. His palms were sweaty, his face gradually turned pale, and the soft flesh inside his mouth was almost rotten from biting. The taste of blood filled his entire mouth.
The slender body, tightly wrapped in black, trembled slightly, revealing the torment in its owner's heart.
Nalan Jingwen remained silent, lost in thought about her true feelings for Jingchi.
Jingchi was someone she had watched grow up. Even though Xingxiu and the others had always intended to groom Jingchi as a potential husband, she had watched him grow up. Before this, she truly had no other thoughts about Jingchi and always treated him as an elder looking after a junior.
Later, even though Jingchi stayed by her side all the time to investigate the power behind him, she never had any other thoughts about him.
But when exactly did it change?
Was it that time in the snow, or some time ago?
Last night, when she saw Jingchi being pinned down by that woman, she knew clearly that she had lost control and only wanted to destroy everything. She even wanted to cut off the hands that had touched Jingchi. Why was that?
Is it anger at seeing one's own things defiled by others?
Or perhaps, she had already developed other feelings for Jingchi?
Nalan Jingwen was slightly taken aback, as if he had suddenly seen the light, and a ripple appeared in his calm eyes.
She waved to him.
"come over."
Jingchi looked up and obediently moved closer to her, his thin lips pressed tightly together, his eyes lowered, completely obscuring his beautiful eyes.
Nalan Jingwen lifted his chin, forcing him to look at him, and asked the same question as last night.
"Why did you cry when you were on the mountain?"
Jingchi's eyelashes trembled, her eyes were slightly moist, and her hands, hanging at her sides, were clenched tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh.
"Subordinate..."
His voice was a little hoarse, as if he was suppressing something, restrained and controlled.
"I feel sad."
"What are you sad about?"
He fell silent, or perhaps he dared not speak, fearing that once he uttered the words, there would be no going back.
But he didn't say it; instead, Nalan Jingwen spoke for him.
"You're sad that I left, aren't you? You feel like I didn't care about you at all, so you feel wronged, right?"
Perhaps he had been struck a nerve, for Jingchi’s body stiffened slightly, and his breathing almost stopped. He opened his mouth, but his voice was hoarse.
"……Yes."
"Your subordinate has overstepped his bounds; please punish me, Your Highness."
Nalan Jingwen was tired of hearing him constantly scolding and punishing her. Did this blockhead have no other words to say?
"And how will you feel when I return?"
return?
Mirror Pool paused slightly, a faint shimmer in his eyes that slowly dissipated as the wind and snow ceased at some point.
"It's fear."
Nalan Jingwen's hand paused, not reacting at all.
Jingchi lowered his eyes and said softly, "I'm afraid that I'll become a person again."
When Nalan Jingwen returned, he was overjoyed and pleasantly surprised. When Nalan Jingwen held him in her arms, his whole body almost stiffened. Afraid that he was too heavy and would crush her, he stiffened his body to try to lighten her weight. But after the initial joy came a huge emptiness, fear, confusion, and sadness.
Like a fleeting moment, he experienced a warm embrace before returning to endless darkness, leaving him all alone.
If he had never possessed it, he could have endured it as before, but now that he has, how difficult it is to go from light to darkness again.
So he was afraid; he didn't know how he would get through the long night alone.
Nalan Jingwen released his grip on him and asked, "If I hadn't forced you, would you have never intended to say it in your entire life?"
"I don't know..."
Yes, he didn't know. He didn't know how long he could endure it. When he finally couldn't hold on any longer, even going insane would be a blessing.
Nalan Jingwen had a headache. She grabbed his collar, flipped him over and pinned him down. The roof tiles made a crisp sound, which was particularly clear in the quiet night.
Jingchi stared blankly at the person on top of him, his whole body numb, his mind a complete blank, with only his heart pounding wildly. It was as if everything in the world had disappeared, leaving only the person in front of him.
"So, what are you thinking about now?"
Nalan Jingwen gently stroked his high, straight nose, her voice soft and soothing.
Jingchi opened his mouth, but could barely utter a word; he really was a blockhead.
"say."
Nalan Jingwen grabbed his trembling fingertips with her other hand and pressed him for an answer again.
"Subordinate..."
His voice was choked with sobs, his lips trembled, and he couldn't speak. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, he turned his head away, not daring to look at her, but a long red line appeared at the corner of his eye, as if he was about to cry, looking pitiful.
Nalan Jingwen gently stroked the corner of his eye; his beautiful face almost blended into the thick darkness of the night, making it impossible to see his expression.
"You've been by my side for so long, don't you understand? If you want something, you should fight for it yourself. If you want to stand by my side, then let me see you."
"do you know?"