I am born a beauty, and I am supreme

Chapter 177

Hearing the nonchalant laughter behind her, Chu Zhen frowned and sighed quietly.

If I can't climb up, I'll be up late today TT party.

You Were Born Before I Was Born Chapter 231: Embrace for a While

When Beitang Yujian saw Tang Leyan sunbathing in the Military Affairs Office, he was startled.

“You…” He reached up and wiped his eyes.

“I am who I am, don’t doubt me. Also…” Before he could finish speaking, Tang Leyan smiled and said, “Don’t force me to take out the gold medal, or you’ll have to kneel down.”

"Ha, haha, you...you're really something." He shook his head helplessly. "But now that you're practically an inside man, what can you do?"

"Well, I'm also thinking about what I should do next. Do you have any good suggestions?" she asked, reaching up to tug at her sleeve.

Beitang Yujian chuckled: "Ha, this young master is a completely innocent young man, how could I understand your complicated relationship between men and women?"

"Stop, we're just having a purely platonic relationship, not as complicated as you think." He waved his fan, a lazy smile on his face.

Looking at her, Beitang Yujian chuckled twice more: "Speaking of which, no wonder I saw the lord's face turn as black as the bottom of a pot, and he was very displeased. He even made two mistakes in approving the memorials. It turns out it's because you've already come in."

Upon hearing this, Tang Leyan immediately jumped down from the railing: "What's wrong? Is he uneasy because of me?"

"Look at you, you're practically gloating," Beitang Yujian said, frowning. "Besides, I beg you, don't run around like that. Don't you know you're not well? You're lucky this time, with Lord Chu protecting you and the timely arrival of the life-saving medicine. Why don't you cherish this hard-won chance to live instead of jumping around like this? You should know that your body hasn't fully recovered."

Seeing his earnest tone, Tang Leyan chuckled and said, "I know, I know, you just love to go on and on? It's a pity that the person who should care about me doesn't ask at all. My heart is truly broken and aching." As she spoke, she made a heartbroken expression.

Beitang Yujian stared in disbelief: "You mean, I'm the type of person who shouldn't care about you?"

Tang Leyan looked at him and shook her head: "Of course not. What I mean is that the person I want the most is ignoring me. Beitang, you're so smart, you should understand what I mean."

Beitang Yujian snorted: "Just as I thought, valuing women over friends."

Tang Leyan chuckled: "Wait until you have someone you like before you can come and rightfully scold me like that."

With that, he turned and walked down from the pavilion.

Beitang Yujian asked, "Where are you going?"

Tang Leyan said, "I've thought of a solution, I'm going to see if it works."

She left humming a little tune.

Beitang Yujian watched her leave, the playful expression on his face gradually disappearing. In its place was a calm, almost cruel smile.

Chu Zhen impatiently pushed the official documents aside, his brows furrowed so deeply they almost met. He was agitated and couldn't calm down, making mistake after mistake. Frustrated, he forced himself to calm down, but he still couldn't. It felt like cat claws were scratching at his heart, making him restless.

He was blaming himself when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure in red moving at the doorway.

He straightened up abruptly, as if by reflex, making sure his eyes were fixed straight ahead on the official documents on the table. Although his hands trembled slightly, he managed to grip the brush tightly, and the brush handle made an unbearably faint sound in his hand.

"Is Uncle Zhen busy?" she asked with a smile as she walked in.

Chu Zhen knew he absolutely couldn't agree. He stared coldly at the official documents on the table. When he was forced into a corner, his mind suddenly cleared. The words in front of him were clear, and his thoughts reacted quickly. He picked up his pen and wrote.

Seeing that he remained silent and was seriously engaged in his work, Tang Leyan did not respond. Instead, she tiptoed to his side and looked at him from behind.

In the past, she would have rushed up and hugged him without hesitation, but now, because of a slight distance between them and the fear that he would be offended, she didn't dare to rush up and could only stand behind him, staring blankly.

Chu Zhen finished reviewing an official document and noticed her behind him.

But there was no sound; he just stood there.

In the past, he would have turned around and asked her questions with a smile.

Whatever it is, everything is so natural.

If it were in the past...

She would pounce on him and hug his shoulders like a little, mischievous child. When she spoke, her hair would fall against his cheeks, tickling him.

But now...

Everything is different now.

I felt her gaze directed at me from behind.

He just can't move.

They can't speak either.

She stood behind him, watching his back, so close to his back, wanting to rush over and hug him, yet she was afraid.

Afraid of provoking his temper, he truly refused to see her again.

Tang Leyan sighed inwardly, wondering when she had become so indecisive and hesitant.

Chu Zhen stared at what was in front of him, motionless, as if he had returned to the times before she appeared.

In the silence, Tang Leyan let out a soft "ah".

Chu Zhen heard this, but did not move.

Tang Leyan frowned, covered her chest with her hand, and took a few steps back.

Chu Zhen noticed this and couldn't help but turn her head slightly to look back.

He could hear her rapid breathing, accompanied by low moans, seemingly suppressed yet unable to be suppressed, so close to his ear.

He couldn't help but turn his head to look.

Tang Leyan leaned against the bookshelf, her back slightly bent, her hands covering her chest, and the hair at her temples swayed weakly with her movements.

"Leyan!" Chu Zhen exclaimed anxiously after just one glance.

With a shout, he abruptly stood up, went to her side, and reached out to support her. Tang Leyan looked up at him; her face was extremely pale.

Chu Zhen reached out and took her hand, and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Le Yan, are you feeling unwell?" When she touched her, she felt that her whole body was limp, as if she had lost all her strength.

"Uncle Zhen..." she called softly, her breath weak, leaning softly against him. Chu Zhen couldn't support her, so he stepped forward and half-embraced her in his arms. Her soft body was in his arms, her face resting against his neck, and his warm breath washed over him.

"How are you feeling? Don't be afraid, I'll get the imperial physician to examine you right away," Chu Zhen said hurriedly. As she spoke, she looked up at him, his chin resting on her forehead. She leaned on him, her cheek against the crook of his neck, cool yet warm. Is this what they call...skin-to-skin contact?

Chu Zhen froze on the spot, feeling as if an electric current had rushed through his body.

"Uncle Zhen..." she called softly, reaching out to hug his waist, which instead pressed him against the bookshelf.

Chu Zhen was somewhat taken aback: "Le Yan..."

"I don't need the imperial physician; he can't cure me anyway," she said softly, leaning contentedly against his chest. "Just let me hold you for a while, Uncle Zhen."

First update.

Two more pink votes needed for the third update!

You were born before I was born, Chapter 232: No!

"Just let me hug you for a little while, Uncle Zhen."

Chu Zhen was originally holding her, but now she was the one being embraced. He leaned against the bookshelf and could see her when he looked down. Her black hair was secured with a golden hairpin with tiny golden patterns that seemed to float faintly in the light and shadow.

A faint, sweet fragrance emanated from her, wafting towards him and enveloping him. Chu Zhen tilted his head slightly, trying to avoid this invisible assault, but to no avail; with each breath, the fragrance permeated his very being.

His hands, which had initially been on her back and his arms under her armpits, began to tremble uncontrollably, and the places where his palms touched felt like they were on fire.

He gradually heard her heartbeat, which became rapid, because her body was pressed tightly against his.

Chu Zhen closed her eyes, then opened them again.

He tried to pull his hand back, placed it on her shoulder, and pushed her body away from his embrace.

"You...you're not..." he couldn't finish his sentence. A surge of anger rose within him. How could she have used this to deceive him? This child...she...

Tang Leyan clung tightly to his waist, her upper body away from his embrace, yet she refused to let go, and actually pulled him a step toward her.

"Wouldn't it be better if we went back to how things were before?" she asked softly. "Besides, I'm really in pain, my heart is aching. Uncle Zhen, how can you be so cold to me?"

Her eyes were dark, and she stared at him without moving.

She is fearless. Perhaps she always has been, from the past to the present, and it's laughable that he never understood.

So where exactly does he stand? From blessing the song to now being caught in the middle himself, how can he face the song and the song seeker? Even if he faces... his old friends, how can he bear it?

"Let go!" He turned his head away, forcing himself not to look into those captivating eyes. He said coldly, "I used to treat you like a junior, but who knew you...you...I advise you...don't do this. If you change your mind, you'll still be...a good child to me. But if you remain stubborn..."

"I like you, does that scare you so much? Why?" She interrupted him before he could finish.

Chu Zhen blinked. The winter sunlight was a bit dazzling, and he vaguely felt that his eyes were a little sore and slightly moist.

He thought for a moment and said, "If you like me because I see you as your real uncle, then naturally I will like you too, but... as for romantic feelings, that's not allowed."

Let's just lay it all out: life or death. Let's just talk it out.

"I've never liked you as an elder," she said with a smile. "Don't deceive yourself. I've always liked you in a romantic way, before. Didn't you feel how I treated you?"

He was wrong.

His heart skipped a beat, a sharp pain shooting through him. He was wrong; he had been reckless and obtuse, just as he had been before, and just as he was now. He had misjudged her, taking her for a senior and letting her cling to him, ignoring the fact that this child also had her own feelings. Yes, how could he have been so obtuse? Hadn't he been the same way before?

Chu Zhen pondered slowly. In her memory, the willful boy strolled out from the river of time, smiling and saying: I like you, I don't care, I will always like you, Brother Yu.

The current Le Yan is probably the same as the Chu Zhen of that time.

Chu Zhen's eyes were a little moist, this time really, they were a little moist.

He could feel it.

But I just don't want to.

I don't want this child to repeat my mistakes.

I don't want to make the same mistake again and cause her to make the same one.

That heart-wrenching unrequited love from back then wounded him for over a decade, drastically changing his personality—but that's just the surface. Who knows how much pain he endured back then, how much strength and forbearance he used to struggle out of that unbearable past and survive until now?

Leyan, she shouldn't be like him.

And Chu Zhen is not the second Yu Fengqing.

She was not as lucky as him.

Therefore, it won't affect Leyan.

It wasn't just because of her special identity as their child, but simply because she had fallen deeply in love with the child from the moment she met her, inexplicably so, to the point that she didn't want her to suffer any harm.

Especially... the harm caused by such entanglements between men and women.

Not a weapon, no bloodshed, yet—