Chapter 688: A Million Times for You (50)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Noticing how apprehensive he seemed, An Xiaoning continued, “Your Majesty, you’re such a great catch, especially since you’re now the president. Why would I reject you because of a military Major?”
“Why not? He can marry you and make you his lawful wife but I can’t. I can only have a clandestine relationship with you and treat you well in secret. I can only give you a status when I become a full-fledged president. Tell me, what must I do to make you agree?” he asked with a gloomy look in his eyes.
“Your Majesty, are you out of your mind? How could I deserve such affection from you? You’re just infatuated and muddled up for the time being. You’ll realize that I’m not worth your attention at all once you get your thoughts straightened out and see everything clearly. Shishi is a great girl, please don’t let her down or break her heart, Your Majesty,” said An Xiaoning, filled with shock and bewilderment.
“I know clearly whether I’m muddled up or not. Do you think I was born yesterday?”
“I wouldn’t dare to think that way.” After pondering for a moment, she continued, “I don’t harbor any designs on you at all. I had never once done so and never will in the future.”
“I don’t believe you.”
An Xiaoning felt more helpless than ever. There was nothing she could do if he refuses to believe the truth.
She remained silent and kept her eyes fixed on the ground. After staring at her for a long while, he finally said, “I won’t force you anymore.”
She heaved a sigh of relief and glanced at Lin Shishi, who was lying on the bed, sound asleep. “Shishi is carrying your child now. Please treat her well, Your Majesty. She’s a very pure and innocent girl.”
“As I mentioned before, any woman who stays in the Autumn Palace will gradually become scheming, regardless of how innocent they may be at the start. I’ll treat her well, for sure. Like what you said, she’s the mother of my child,” he answered, seemingly knowing what she was concerned about.
“It’s getting late, I have to get going.” An Xiaoning nodded and turned around to walk away.
The door was closed gently. Tuoba Gucheng remained in his seat quietly for a long time.
An Xiaoning felt much more relaxed only after leaving the Autumn Palace.
She stood by the entrance and took a deep breath.
The thought of Tuoba Gucheng’s words earlier made her feel burdened and stressed.
She felt as if a heavy rock was weighing her chest down.
She began walking toward the hotel, which was just a short distance away.
Just as she was about to reach the entrance, she caught sight of Lin Mingxi standing at the door, seemingly waiting for her,
“You’re finally back. What took you so long?”
“I was chatting with Shishi.”
An Xiaoning then returned to her hotel room together with Lin Mingxi. The moment she entered the room, she removed her shoes and left her socks on, feeling much more comfortable.
She lay down in bed and let out a long sigh. “I can finally get some rest.”
Lin Mingxi sprawled herself across the bed and said, “I noticed something during the wedding ceremony just now.”
“What is it?”
“The way that the president looked at you was pretty strange,” Lin Mingxi answered with a sheepish smile.
“What do you mean?” An Xiaoning asked, feeling a little anxious.
“He was staring at you as if you were his woman.”
An Xiaoning denied vehemently, “Nothing of that sort, don’t spout nonsense.”
“I’m not spouting nonsense. That’s the way Beicheng looks at you, so I can definitely tell,” Lin Mingxi said with open frankness.
An Xiaoning pretended to strangle her neck and chided teasingly, “There you go again. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll banish you to the forbidden palace?”
“Well, apart from the two of them, there was also Jin Qingyan, who was staring at you the most intently. He looked like he wanted to devour you then and there.”
“Why didn’t I notice it at all? Did you focus all your attention on the way other men were looking at me?” An Xiaoning quipped, poking her forehead.
“I wasn’t the only one who could tell that there was something unusual about the way Mr. President was looking at you. Beicheng discovered it too. We were sitting right behind you two, so we could see everything very clearly.” Lin Mingxi turned to lie on her back and stared at the ceiling above. “I feel so frustrated for you. Sometimes, it’s not necessarily a good thing to be too popular with men,” she added.
“The president is my half-brother. You know that as well. Jin Qingyan is my ex-husband whom I’ve divorced twice, and Gu Beicheng is your husband. What could possibly happen between us with you around? My popularity with men has brought nothing but trouble to me.”
Lin Mingxi chuckled and said, “If you want to live with Beicheng happily ever after, I’m willing to grant you your wish.”
An Xiaoning rolled her eyes and jested, “You’re asking to be punished!”
“I’m being serious. Beicheng and I are married only in name, and we’re genuinely nice and caring toward each other. It’s a great feeling, actually, even though there’s no love between us.”
“You two will be giving birth to a child in the next half of the year. Just live your life properly and stop getting any wild ideas. There’s nothing between me and Beicheng. If I really harbored any feelings for him, you wouldn’t have had the chance to go on a matchmaking session with him. Some men are just thickheaded and take longer to realize some things. Give him some time and be patient, he’ll fall in love with you eventually,” said An Xiaoning, staring at her earnestly.
“Okay…”
——
Bam! Tuoba Rui slapped his hand across Shi Xiaoyu’s face forcefully, almost throwing her off balance.
“How dare you hit me!” she exclaimed angrily, placing a hand on her face.
Tuoba Rui glowered at her and said sternly, “Didn’t you say that you had sent her to a good family? Turns out you dumped her in the countryside to let her fend for herself.”
“Isn’t she alive and well now? What’s the matter? Are you feeling sorry for her? She seems to have nine lives though. If I’d been cruel enough, I would’ve strangled her to death and you wouldn’t even have known about it. Didn’t I still give her a way out in the end?” Shi Xiaoyu retorted upfront.
“Shi Xiaoyu!” Tuoba Rui hollered, his hands trembling out of anger.
“I noticed how agitated you were when you finally met her in the flesh today. Did you feel like you were looking at Sister’s shadow? They do resemble each other greatly, and she was even dressed in red. Tuoba Rui, it’s already been so many years. She would’ve died long ago if I really wanted to kill her. How dare you hit me because of her. Do you dare believe that I won’t kill her?”
Tuoba Rui stepped forward and strangled her neck. “Then I shall kill you right now.”
Shi Xiaoyu’s legs were lifted off the ground and she felt her breath shortening. “You… let go!” she struggled to say, turning as red as a tomato.
“Do you still dare to think of killing her?”
Afraid that he would strangle her to death, Shi Xiaoyu immediately answered, “No.”
He then let go of Shi Xiaoyu, who was scared out of her wits. Staring at him with tears in her eyes while trying to catch her breath, she exclaimed, “You’re treating me like this all because of her. As if Shi Qingzhou wasn’t already a huge hindrance to me, you even place her daughter above me. I’m your lawful wife who gave birth to three of your children. You actually thought of killing me because of her! Tuoba Rui, I’ve been married to you for so many years, and yet I still mean so little to you. My place in your heart can’t even be compared to that of Shi Qingzhou and her daughter!”
“Seems like all the warnings I gave you previously had fallen on deaf ears. I won’t warn you anymore from now on. Xiaoyu, be careful not to be too relentless. I’ve never intervened with the way you disciplined our children in the past, but you’d better know your limits. Don’t go poking your nose into the business of someone else who isn’t your child; otherwise, I’ll make sure you get a hard time.”