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As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and looked at the young man in plain clothes with a gentle expression: "This is one of the gift lists that the Fire Feather Kingdom has just presented, a hundred rare books. I had them make a list of the books, take a look and see if there are any you want, and I will have a copy made and sent to you."

Sure enough, he saw the boy's eyes light up and a hint of joy appear on his handsome face: "Your Majesty, is this alright?"

For some reason, Yang Yi felt an unprecedented sense of comfort in his chest. He took the man's hand, handed him the paper, and said with a smile, "I've given you gifts before, so why not? By the way, there are also a hundred antiques, but I only brought one with me today."

As he spoke, he took off the jade pendant from his waist and handed it to him. The jade pendant was pure white and crystal clear, yet it would display a bright seven-colored luster under any light. A delicate landscape painting was carved on the jade pendant, and Yang Yi immediately felt that Lin Yu would like it.

The boy held the jade pendant in astonishment, turning it over under the lamplight. He occasionally tilted his head to look at the air as if listening to something, a faint, childlike smile on his face that he had never seen before: "Thank you for the Emperor's gift."

With bright eyes, white teeth, a warm smile, and a soft, husky voice, Yang Yi seemed bewitched and couldn't help but reach out his hand...

With a loud "bang," the door was kicked open. Yang Yi's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and he silently withdrew it before the boy could even notice. He saw that the boy still had a faint smile on his face, while the person who had barged in had suddenly turned icy cold.

Yang Yi met those icy, cold eyes that seemed devoid of any emotion, and slowly began to laugh. The laugh was indescribably deep and sinister, yet it carried a strong sense of provocation. He turned his head and happened to see the boy's blue eyes suddenly brighten like a clear blue sky, a joy he had never felt before when seeing anything else.

Yang Yi suddenly felt a sharp, resentful pain in his chest, as if being devoured by a wild beast. He slowly stood up, his face still bearing a gentle and dignified smile, and said, "Lin Yu, I'll head back now. As for the books you want, just send someone to the palace."

The young man struggled to get up to see him off, but was pressed back down by Yang Yi. As Yang Yi brushed past the man in blue, he said with a smile in his eyes, "What you can't afford for him, I can give you." Without looking at the man's expression, he strode away.

―――――――――――――First-person perspective separator―――――――――――――――――

As I watched Yang Yi leave, I thought I could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but then I heard him say in a very low voice as he passed by Yi Han, "What you can't give him, I can give." My heart clenched suddenly, and I couldn't help but want to sneer out loud.

I asked, "Yihan, is the matter with the Dark Camp resolved so quickly?" I finally managed to get up and go to get my coat hanging on the screen in front of me. Yihan took two steps forward, grabbed the coat for me, nodded, and said, "Young Master, please rest a little longer. I'll wait outside."

I reacted quickly and grabbed his hand, which was already more than a meter away from me. The coldness and stiffness of his palm made me shiver. I forced a smile and stood up, saying, "You can stay indoors while I rest. There's no need to go out. It's too cold outside."

Yi Han withdrew his hand expressionlessly: "This subordinate... is not afraid of the cold."

"Feng Yihan!" I was getting angry. I grabbed his hands and glared at him. "Do you have to talk to me so politely?"

The dark green in Yi Han's eyes began to flicker again. I didn't know what it meant, but the cold hands I was holding gradually warmed up.

I took a few breaths to calm my turbulent emotions, and when I spoke, my tone was tinged with resentment and grievance: "What's wrong with you? What Yang Yi said doesn't represent my wishes, so why are you angry with me? But I couldn't understand what you and Mu Shuangshuang were saying, and you wouldn't tell me the truth. She kissed you, and you just let her kiss you..."

"I didn't!" Yi Han blurted out, his face turning red as soon as the words left his mouth.

I looked up, staring intently at his thin lips, slightly pursed, their lines firm yet beautiful, now tinged with a faint red. I could feel my own lips slowly warming and softening, even a faint tingling sensation rising from my heart. I think I could no longer distinguish whether those feelings were Lin Yu's or mine. But this time, I didn't want to care anymore. Even if they were Lin Yu's, so what? Anyway, now, I am Lin Yu, and Lin Yu... is me.

I gripped his hand tightly, and using the pull, I slowly lifted myself up and pressed my soft, burning lips to his.

Yi Han's eyes widened suddenly as he stared intently at me, who was so close to him. The dark green light in his eyes flickered wildly like a computer performing hundreds of calculations per second. That dark green, like a wild beast struggling and roaring about to be released, filled his eyes in the instant I was surprised, and even turned into a more dreamlike and enchanting color.

But I could no longer see clearly. Yi Han, who had been standing there blankly, suddenly grabbed my hands, pulled me tightly around the waist, and kissed me back. My hands were pinned behind my back, my body pressed against his hot, taut skin beneath his clothes, his tongue frantically searching for mine, allowing me no retreat. That kiss was no longer gentle and tender, nor a fleeting touch; it was a tidal wave engulfing us, an uncontrollable passion released after long suppression.

He only released me when I was completely exhausted, struggling to breathe, and collapsed in his arms. He loosened his grip on my hands and slowly, with a touch of caution, wrapped his arms around my waist.

My thoughts were still in a daze. As I straightened up, I saw his beautiful, dazzling, and somewhat eerie dark green eyes. I called out softly, "Yihan..." Only when the words left my mouth did I realize that they sounded like a seductive whisper, and my face immediately turned completely red.

Yi Han stepped back, creating a few centimeters of distance between us, and looked down at me, his hand still gently around my waist. He said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Young Master, are you sure you want to be with me?"

I looked up at him blankly, my lips slightly parted, but I couldn't understand why he asked that question.

Xiao Yi

2007.10.2 18:06

Chapter 48: Sentimental or Heartless (End)

I've been incredibly busy lately, so please excuse the irregular updates and don't wait up for me. I'm just swamped with work.

I've finally put those two together! Please leave comments, I'll come back and check...

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Chapter 49 shrouded in mystery

Chapter 49 shrouded in mystery

I looked up at him blankly, my lips slightly parted, but I couldn't understand why he asked that question.

Yi Han's eyes were a deep, dark green tinged with a faint purple, his gaze as unfathomable as a bottomless vortex, as if one might be swept away at any moment. He clenched his fists and said again, "Young Master, once you've chosen me, I will never let go. Even if it means chasing you to hell, even if it means destroying everything, even if... you decide to let go, I will never let you leave. Young Master, are you really sure?"

I was slightly taken aback, a bittersweet pain rising in my chest. Wasn't Yi Han actually in love with Lin Yu, not me? Even if I tried to forget Xu Lie, even if I slowly fell in love with him, the person he loved would always be Lin Yu, not Lin Jialan. Could I selfishly stay by his side, pretending that the person he loved was me? Could I shamelessly steal Lin Yu's body and power, and then accept the feelings that should have belonged to her?

I wanted to say I wasn't sure, but the pain in my chest was unbearable, and a voice inside me kept telling me: If you miss this opportunity, you will regret it for the rest of your life, you will regret it for the rest of your life...

My body tensed abruptly as Yi Han pulled me into a tight embrace, his body trembling slightly against mine. The strength of his hold felt like he wanted to embed me into his being, his voice low and hoarse: "Don't think about it anymore… you're not allowed to think about it anymore…"

A bittersweet mix of emotions—a bittersweet feeling of happiness mingled with a slight sense of apprehension—overwhelmed me. Without hesitation, I reached out and tightly embraced his slender, strong waist. Unsure of my own feelings, unsure if I was being used as a substitute for Lin Yu, I knew I absolutely, positively wouldn't let go of this person. He didn't love me now, so I would try my best to make him fall in love with the real me. Not as good as Lin Yu, not as outstanding as Lin Yu, I would work twice as hard to be worthy of him, and love him twice as hard. I longed for a warm embrace.

"Yihan!" I buried my face in his chest, a faint happiness turning into a gentle smile on my lips. I said softly but resolutely, "Let's be together, forever."

In this fragile happiness, I heard Zimo laughing in the air. The laughter was neither mocking nor a blessing, but rather carried a deep sadness, loneliness, and desolation, which made me shiver.

The next few days passed peacefully, with me attending court, working, and recuperating each day, until a shocking piece of news broke from the palace: Princess Jianing had run away. This was like a bolt from the blue. I had thought that since Yang Yi hadn't pressured Yi Han to marry the princess and take up his post, the matter had been successfully resolved peacefully. Who would have thought that Jianing would secretly slip away at this crucial moment? Could it be that Yang Yi had actually been pressuring her all along?

Regardless, the heavy responsibility of finding the princess fell on my shoulders. These past few days, Yang Yi had always looked angry and helpless towards me, clearly knowing all along that I had instigated the princess's rebellion. For the past two weeks, I had mobilized almost all my resources, even secretly deploying the secret police, but I still couldn't find the princess. Then one afternoon, just as I was about to continue the search, Xiao Guizi rushed in to report that Princess Jianing had safely returned to the palace. This anticlimactic princess disappearance story truly left me both amused and exasperated.

But something even more absurd and ridiculous happened the next day. The envoys from the Fire Feather Kingdom, who had already left Jinyao to return home, suddenly returned, representing their ruler Jun Wuhen, to request that Princess Jianing be married as their queen, thus solidifying the alliance between the two countries through marriage. I, who had been in poor health and oblivious to worldly affairs, only learned that day that the envoy who had returned was named Fan Zhong, courtesy name Ronggui, and was none other than the Fire Feather Kingdom's Imperial Censor, Liu Cenfeng, one of his students, who had tricked Lin Yu into going to the Xiangxi border with a letter half a year ago, causing her death and leading to my transmigration.

Subtly observing him, one could see that he had long eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a fair complexion and no beard, and although he was nearly forty, he still maintained a dignified demeanor.

During my conversation with Yang Yi, he kept looking at me with a slightly smiling, curious, and inquisitive gaze. But strangely, I didn't feel anything special when I saw him; I felt neither hatred nor sadness, as if he were a complete stranger.

So what exactly was written in that letter he sent that made Lin Yu abandon everything and rush there?

These past few nights, I've been having recurring dreams, mostly about that familiar yet strange Naihe Xuan. In Naihe Xuan's magnificent and elegant bedroom, a young man is clutching my pale hand, whispering something to me. His face is blurry, but I can see a distorted, ferocious expression. Suddenly, everything blurs, and a bright white light flashes across the young man's wrist. Then, he stops breathing. I scream, repeatedly calling his name, before waking up with a start. But once awake, I can't remember what I said, or what that white light on his wrist was. All I know is that it was extremely important to both me and Lin Yu.