Chapter 598:The Secret About the Past (216)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Of course not. I love our Xiaoxi the most, look how adorable she is with those chubby cheeks of hers, just like her mother. I feel like pinching them every time I see her. Who am I going to spoil if I don’t pamper Xiaoxi?” he said with a look of innocence.
“…”
—
As per normal, An Xiaoning headed upstairs after dinner to take a shower, apply a facial mask, and go to bed.
This had become An Xiaoning’s nightly routine before going to bed.
Just as she lay down in bed in her pajamas after applying her facial mask, she heard a sudden knocking on the door.
“Who’s there?”
“Me,” Tuoba Gucheng said in his deep, alluring voice.
An Xiaoning removed the facial mask and put on the human skin mask before opening the door.
“Your Highness, do you have any orders for me?”
He took a look at her pajamas and entered straight away. “Close the door.”
An Xiaoning did not know what his intentions were. Could it be that he wants to have a chat with me like last night? she wondered.
Is he a lunatic? Why did he come looking for a bodyguard like me when he has such a beautiful bride?
“Highness, please tell me straight what you’d like to say. The Princess Consort is waiting for you next door.”
“She’s asleep.”
“…”
An Xiaoning stood rooted to the ground, feeling a little uneasy. “Your Highness, if you keep acting like this, the Princess Consort is going to find out sooner or later that you’ve spiked your drink.”
“I just want to have a chat with you,” said Tuoba Gucheng, seemingly having lowered the facade of a cool front he’d usually put up in the day.
An Xiaoning nodded and moved a chair to sit down opposite him. “Okay, what would you like to chat about, then?”
“If that incident didn’t happen and I canceled that two-week agreement, you’d definitely give birth to the child, wouldn’t you?”
“Your Highness, why did you bring that matter up again out of the blue?” said An Xiaoning, who did not quite wish to talk about it since it was the reason her relationship with Jin Qingyan had turned sour.
The matter was just like an ugly scar that never fails to make her feel devastated to the point of suffocation whenever she was reminded of it.
“It’s just a casual question because I’m bored.”
“Yes, I will never have aborted the child no matter what. I’d have done my best to keep him, as long as he wanted to be my child. I’ll have risked everything I had to give birth to him. But in the end, it seems he doesn’t want to be my child, and he thus left,” An Xiaoning said with a look of dejection in her eyes.
“Why are you bent on giving birth to him? Is it because it’s difficult for you to conceive?”
“That’s not the only reason. It’s because I love his father too,” she said, hanging her head low.
“You love the child’s father…”
An Xiaoning snapped back to reality and said, “Your Highness, the child is not yours. We’ve never gotten intimate before either. So please, stop being mistaken.”
From gazing at her, Tuoba Gucheng reached out to cup her face forcefully, in a bid to kiss her. However, An Xiaoning cocked her head to the side, causing his lips to touch her cheek.
“I know clearly or not whether I’ve misunderstood. I know you harbor feelings for me. I knew it was the case.”
An Xiaoning stared at him in bewilderment and said, “Your Highness, I’m going to repeat myself. I don’t harbor any designs on you. Neither do I dare to fancy you. Please don’t misunderstand, Your Highness.”
“I didn’t misunderstand. I know what’s on your mind without even having to guess,” he said with unhappiness written all over his face.
You’re not clear at all. Why do you keep thwarting my words and creating misunderstandings!?! An Xiaoning cursed in her head.
She had repeated herself countless times.
“From now onwards, please don’t speak about this anymore, Your Highness. You have no idea how much I’ve suffered because of this, and neither will you understand what I lost as a result. This matter is like a knife stabbed deep inside my heart. Every single time you mention this, you remind me of it. So, let’s both not bring this up again,” An Xiaoning said solemnly.
He expressed assent and said, “We won’t mention a word about this again then. Also, I was merely being impulsive when I tried to kiss you just now…”
“Your Highness, your vision seems to be getting worse. Consult an optometrist tomorrow to get your eyes checked.”
He chuckled and said, “You’re much more humorous than the Princess Consort.”
He then left as soon as he finished speaking.
An Xiaoning felt that Tuoba Gucheng came to visit her in the middle of the night on purpose.
She could tell that her half-brother had, more likely than not, fallen for her.
It was giving her a major headache.
It seemed she ought to step up and find out the information she wanted as soon as possible and then leave the Autumn Palace.
While she was troubled, Tuoba Gucheng was in a great mood.
He felt a tinge of guilt when he stared at his wife, who was sleeping beside him. It was not the ideal marriage he wanted, yet he did not have a choice and could not defy his parents’ arrangements.
To think, life truly is full of helpless situations.
He would have a say over his own life only if he becomes the president.
A look of melancholy formed in Tuoba Gucheng’s eyes at the thought of it.
—
Jin Yiheng was jolted awake by a sudden cold air on his neck.
He switched on the lights and caught sight of a terrifying ghost sitting by his bed. Glowering at it in frustration, Jin Yiheng hissed, “You’re so annoying, why do you keep blowing air at me when I’m not feeling warm at all?”
The ghost was greatly taken aback, surprised to see that the young child was not afraid of it at all.
It then inched closer toward Jin Yiheng, who whipped out an amulet from underneath his pillow and pasted it onto the ghost’s head. “Get lost,” he scorned.
The ghost vanished instantly, after which Jin Yiheng picked up the amulet and placed it beneath his pillow again.
After having seen countless supernatural beings, Jin Yiheng was no longer afraid of them.
Most of the time, he would choose to completely disregard their presence.
In fact, he actually shocked those beings with his unusually calm reaction, often causing them to flee swiftly.
Jin Yiheng was on the verge of tears when he stared at the photo frame above the bed.
He missed his Mommy dearly.
He got down from the bed, put on his shoes, and walked out of his room to see that the lights in the corridor were still on. He then knocked on his father’s bedroom door.
“Daddy.”
“Yes.”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Run ten rounds around the backyard.”
“…”
Jin Yiheng turned around to return to his own room while Jin Qingyan popped some sleeping pills, after which he lay down in bed and shut his eyes tightly.
His head felt giddy and heavy, as if he was about to sink into the bed continuously.
Jin Qingyan felt as if he was stuck in a foggy maze where he continuously walked forward until his feet began to hurt. Yet, there seemed to be no end to it.
Some time later, the fog began to dissipate. He jumped for joy and picked up his tracks.
Finally, he broke out of the fog and, after being in the clear, stopped by a river.
All of a sudden, a head popped up from the surface of the river, giving him a great shock. He took a closer look to find that it was An Xiaoning.
She seemed to be in her adolescent, teenage years, appearing much more youthful than she did in real life.
Her tresses were exceptionally long and she was gazing up at him with a smile.
Under the bright rays of the sun, she squinted and called out, “Brother Qin..”
He reached a hand out subconsciously for her to grab. She then leaped up and stood up straight before hugging him. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you here all this while. You’re finally back.”
Yet, Jin Qingyan could not seem to bring himself to speak his mind. The more he could not utter the words, the greater his desire to speak was.