t led me into the mountain. Helpless, I smeared mud on myself and removed the scent to avoid wolf attacks. What I said is all true; please spare our lives.""Yes, yes, I came here with Big Brother to h...Chapter 15: I Like You

Bai Qianye, the second prince of Phoenix Country, was originally destined to be the emperor. However, overnight, he lost everyone's support and love. His most respected mother gave him a bowl of poisoned wine, his coveted throne was usurped by his brother, and his beloved woman became someone else’s... Everything happened too fast, leaving him numb.

When his proud martial arts skills were taken away, he felt nothing; when the tendons in his limbs were severed, he remained silent; when he received a hundred strokes as punishment, he showed no reaction whatsoever.

As the second prince, he died that day.

But as Bai Qianye, he lived on.

The world he experienced was incomprehensible and unbearable to ordinary people.

If asked why he returned, it was obviously to reclaim what belonged to him and seek vengeance!

However Revenge or seizing power had nothing to do with Qi Lin.

"I have a request." It was merely one wish.

Curious as he was, Bai Qianye, who had never seen the strong-willed Qi Lin make requests of anyone before, suddenly found her doing so after falling seriously ill. With his hand slightly raised and speaking softly, "You can speak freely."

Without any hindrance Hearing this, Qi Lin suddenly smiled, turned around to face Bai Qianye, her gaze clear as she slowly bent down on one knee.

Bai Qianye unconsciously took a step back; he knew how strong-willed Qi Lin was and that even when affected by Beauty Red, she had never made any requests of him. "What are you doing"

“This is my first time asking for something from someone, and my first time kneeling because of it. The reason I am doing this is that I have figured some things out.” Not ignoring something doesn’t make it disappear; there were certain truths he could not deceive himself about. "I will say this only once, listen carefully."

Hmm Frowning slightly, she seemed to be making a great effort. She gestured with her hand for Qi Lin to continue.

“I like you.”

""

“If asked when I started liking you, I wouldn't know myself.” With this said, she smiled slightly and pulled out the light blue handkerchief from her sleeve. “Maybe it was our first meeting that night or... when you smiled at me.”

A smile Had he ever smiled at her

“I’ve always been like this; what did you expect”

“I mean a genuine smile.” Although it was only for an instant every time, that gentle expression had left a mark on her heart. "Until now, I thought I kept the handkerchief to remind myself not to make the same mistake again, but in fact, that was just an excuse I used to fool myself."

Having said this much, she felt as if something had been lifted from her chest; suddenly, a cold sensation spread across her face. Looking up, she saw Bai Qianye’s handsome face smiling down at her.

"Why."

Looking at Bai Qianye with confusion, it was the first time seeing something akin to despair in his eyes.

"I've been using you all along to achieve my goals. You can't be unaware of this." He never believed in love; he once did, but that was in the past. Now, he only believes in power. "Qi Lin, you're not as foolish."

"When did you start spouting so much nonsense" She smiled slightly and continued, "I know all that, but women are strange creatures. Even when they know something, they still can't resist falling in love. Because... I can't control it either. If I fall in love, I just do. What else can I do Before, I tried to ignore my feelings, but the more I ignored them, the more important they became."

She couldn’t help grabbing Bai Qianye’s hand—it felt cold with no warmth at all, like an ice block, yet she was driven by a need to warm him.

This wasn't sympathy; it was... heartache.

"So..."

So

"This is the privilege I grant you." Holding Bai Qianye’s hand tightly, she placed his palm over her chest and said, "If you want to take revenge, I’ll be your tool. If you want the throne, I'll be your stepping stone. If you want the world, I’ll pave the way for you. You can use me however you like; this is my privilege for you. And I promise, I won’t become his woman."

Never had she decided to love someone so seriously before. After confessing openly, she felt a lot lighter. "This is how I show my love."

Although she swore in the past that she would never fall in love with anyone related to the royal family or get involved in power struggles.

But... once she fell in love, it was out of her control.

She wouldn’t hide it because the pressure was too great. She had no time for that.

"What you think doesn't matter to me; even if you reject me, it's fine." As a person from the 21st century who never seriously dated before, she didn't impose her modern views on her ancient lover. "Even if you rule the world one day and I remain just another stranger to you—I don’t mind because..."

"Haha... haha!" Before Qi Lin could finish speaking, Bai Qianye started laughing coldly. Seizing her hand, he said sarcastically, "Qi Lin, emotions are unnecessary here. Even if you act like this, I won't be grateful; on the contrary, it makes me feel disgusted. A woman's feelings... no matter how you look at them, they’re all hypocritical."

"Hahaha! That goes without saying."

"That goes without saying because a woman’s emotions... no matter how you look at them," she paused, then stroked Bai Qianye's cheek and smiled slightly. "They're all despicable acts. But don't men also indulge in such despicable acts Ah Fei—no, Bai Qianye, haven’t you ever felt this way before too When I said I liked you, the shock and fleeting tenderness in your eyes weren’t fake, right"

"Tenderness" Was that a mockery of him A faint anger rose from her dantian and filled both hands. She tightened her grip on Qi Lin’s chin and leaned close to say, "What if I tell you this tenderness was just a means for me to make you fall in love with me"

Startled by Bai Qianye's words, she froze.

"Making a woman not betray you is having her love you." Qi Lin's attitude infuriated him even more; he squeezed harder until Qi Lin let out a pained moan.

Eh For some reason, his heart shuddered, and the night on White Tiger Mountain flashed through his mind.

Hmm

While he was in thought, a softness covered his lips, warm and tender.

Zi Lin What are you doing

I don’t know. She didn’t know what she was doing either. All she knew was that when her reaction came back to her, it had already happened this way. However, she didn’t regret it and even felt a bit happy about it.

"Falling in love with you is my own business and has nothing to do with you." After leaving Bai Qianye, Zi Lin smiled and said, "I remember someone once said that as long as the hurt isn't thorough enough, they won’t let go. So"

She covered Bai Qianye’s lips again, this time slightly warm.

"So, before you thoroughly wound me, I’ll continue to love you regardless of any cost."

She could allow him not to love her or use her.

"But there is one thing I need from you."

Gazing into Zi Lin’s black pupils, which were as pure and clear with no impurities just like before, he thought that they would have changed after going through so much.

"If you gain the world and still love me, please allow me to stay by your side."

If "I don’t love you," then "please let me go."

"By then, anyway, I won't be of any use to you anymore, right"

"You also won’t lose out. You won’t need anything from me either."

"Just allow me to leave and return to my original life No, my previous life can’t come back. At least, let me return to where I came from so that I can end my days there."

And you "Never set foot in my world."

This time around, every word she spoke felt like a knife being plunged into her heart, but Zi Lin still smiled.

In Bai Qianye’s eyes, she saw icy coldness akin to moonlight. She opened her arms and gently embraced him, burying her head in his chest as she sniffed the tea scent that was uniquely his.

"There is one more thing, can you tell me the truth." There was a silence after Zi Lin’s question, which she knew was an implicit consent. So, she continued, "You What is your relationship with Yu Mu"

Thinking back now, the similarities between him and Yu Mu were too striking. The same scent, temperature, and smile—sometimes she almost felt like they were one person.

Gently pushing Zi Lin away, looking into her gentle gaze, he softly said, "I have no relation with Yu Mu."

Hearing this answer, Zi Lin smiled brightly, her body went limp as she fell to the ground. As expected, she landed in a warm embrace. Her eyes couldn’t open, but she clung tightly onto him and then fell into deep sleep.

Qin Lin was placed in her bed, and he gently wiped the sweat off her forehead. He took a handkerchief and tenderly put it in Qin Lin's arms before covering her with a quilt and leaving.

Qin Lin had another dream where she saw a blood-covered youth struggling for survival on snow.

The young man's gaze was dull, lifeless as still water.

She slowly approached him, pushed away the hair that stuck to his face due to blood and sweat, gently wiped off the blood from his face. Then suddenly, he bit down hard on her finger as if unwilling to let go, biting fiercely as though trying to break it in half. Yet she didn't feel any pain.

But...her heart ached.

Feng Changqing frowned slightly and brushed away the tears at the corners of Qin Lin's eyes. He was told that Qin Lin had woken up, so he hurriedly finished his paperwork and rushed over only to see her quietly lying in bed.

The imperial physician said that Qin Lin might have briefly regained consciousness while still asleep but hadn't fully recovered. This condition is recorded in ancient texts, similar to sleepwalking where one appears awake but isn’t really.

But he had never seen tears in her eyes before; even in a dream, it left him feeling powerless and unable to protect her.

"No." Qin Lin suddenly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first then slowly cleared up, revealing that she was on her bed. She wanted to speak but found her throat terribly sore, only able to whisper weakly, "Water... water."

Feng Changqing was taken aback as Green Bamboo just brought over a cup of water. He helped Qin Lin sit up and placed the water by her lips.

With the warm water soothing her throat, Qin Lin drank it eagerly like a lifeline, holding onto the cup tightly and finishing it in two gulps.

Feng Changqing gently wiped the moisture from her mouth and softly asked, "Do you want more"

"No need." She weakly shook her head then suddenly realized who was behind her. Looking up, she started but stopped herself mid-word, “E-mperor... uh...”

She tried to sit up but found no strength in her body, instead collapsing back into Feng Changqing's embrace.

"Don't move," he said gently, "The imperial physician says you've used all your energy from the high fever and lack of food for two days. Thus feeling weak is natural. I’ve already instructed the Imperial Kitchen to prepare your favorite dishes which will be brought here shortly." He asked tenderly, “Do you feel any discomfort”

She lacked the strength to speak and simply shook her head. She then realized she had been holding onto Feng Changqing's wrist and quickly let go, feeling awkward.

"I've been asleep for two days" she touched her forehead, remembering seeing someone and doing something but couldn't recall it clearly. "Your Majesty... me..."

“Are you uncomfortable somewhere The imperial physician said…”

“I’m so hungry,” rubbing her rumbling stomach with an awkward smile, she said, “I want meat, lots of it.”

"Alright, I'll have them prepare it immediately." name or title, context unclear)."By the way, why are you out here in the garden today, Young Master Yu Mu"Bu Yao's question caught Qi Lin off guard, causing her to shift her gaze back to the榆木 (a nam...