"Could you please draw something..." Qin Moyu paused, unsure of what he wanted.
"Lotus," Shen Mo suddenly spoke, adding, "Would a twin lotus be acceptable?"
The sugar figurine maker nodded earnestly, "Sure, sure."
Qin Moyu was somewhat surprised that Shen Mo would also like this kind of thing, but she didn't think too much about it. She wanted to wait until she finished drawing the sugar figurine before asking about the sugar painting she wanted.
"Young master, the drawing is finished."
The sugar painter handed the sugar to Shen Mo, who thanked him, paid, and then turned to hand the sugar painting back to him.
"for you."
Shen Mo said.
The sugar painting is done with a bamboo stick, and the twin lotus flowers painted with golden syrup are lifelike and very tempting.
Qin Moyu looked at the sugar painting and said, "Thank you."
Shen Mo's lips curled slightly as he pushed the sugar painting forward a little further.
but.
"You can have it," Qin Moyu said casually, then turned to the sugar maker and asked for another sugar painting.
Shen Mo's grip on the bamboo skewer tightened. He couldn't utter a word and could only silently put the sugar painting away.
"Oh, right, take this back with you." Qin Moyu suddenly remembered something and took out the things Shen Mo had given her during the day from her storage bag.
It was the paperweight that Shen Mo had given him.
"It's too valuable, I can't accept it."
Qin Moyu placed the item in her palm and handed it out.
"It's not valuable, and since I said I'd give it to you, there's no reason for me to take it back." Shen Mo pursed his lips, clearly reluctant to put the paperweight away.
Qin Moyu stared at him intently, her eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.
Shen Mo suddenly understood something.
—Was it returned because it was valuable, or because it was a gift from him?
Chapter Sixty-Two: A Plea to Stay "Your master has woken up."...
In the end, the item couldn't be returned because of Shen Mo's firm attitude, and neither of them spoke on the way back.
Qin Moyu was focused on eating the sugar painting—he had ordered a peach-shaped sugar painting—he started eating the round sugar peach from the pointed top, licking the sugar painting little by little, and squinting his eyes in satisfaction.
Shen Mo's sugar painting was a completely different story. He took a big bite of one of the twin lotus flowers, chewed it a few times without any flavor, and then swallowed it. The sugar in his mouth was sweet, but his heart felt bitter.
He finally understands what it means to dig your own grave.
If before it was just guilt for scheming against Qin Moyu, now it's wishing he could go back in time and strangle the self who made the plan.
Now, let alone expressing his feelings to Qin Moyu, Shen Mo is more worried about how to prevent Qin Moyu from rejecting him.
The walk back to the palace was neither long nor short, but every step was a sweet torment for Shen Mo.
Qin Moyu and Shen Mo could not possibly live in the same place; their residences were practically in opposite directions.
Standing at a fork in the road, Qin Moyu waved the sugar painting in her hand, which was almost completely eaten: "I'm going back."
Shen Mo nodded and shook his sugar painting like Qin Moyu, but it was obvious that he hadn't even finished a third of it: "Good night."
To be honest, the way he was waving the sugar painting around like that was kind of funny.
Despite having a face that could be described as wicked and villainous, Qin Moyu could sense that he wasn't the kind of ambitious and ruthless tyrant. Whenever he spoke to her, he always seemed a bit weaker, and his emotions were very obvious. He didn't seem like a strategist emperor at all. It was as if it wasn't Shen Moyu but herself who had the strength to transcend tribulation.
Perhaps it was the joy of listening to the shadow puppet show today, or perhaps it was the stark contrast in Shen Mo's demeanor, but Qin Moyu gave a faint smile: "Goodnight."
It was a fleeting smile, not even gentle, yet it captivated Shen Mo.
He watched Qin Moyu's retreating figure without turning his head for a moment.
If Qin Moyu were to turn around at this moment, she would be astonished to find that the gentleness in Shen Mo's eyes was exactly the same as that in Shen Yebai's.
I spent a sleepless night.
Qin Moyu felt that it was a mistake to succumb to the temptation and go to the night market with Shen Mo that day.
Since that day, Shen Mo has always appeared in front of him "accidentally".
It was as if he had eyes on his body; no matter where Qin Moyu went, he would run into him, whether he was chatting with Shen Yu or wandering around the Imperial Garden, he could always find her accurately.
"What a coincidence." Qin Moyu smiled insincerely at Shen Mo, who had appeared out of nowhere again. After these chance encounters over the past few days, he no longer had the respect he had for the powerful senior Shen Mo before, and was only left with speechless disbelief.
"yes."
Shen Mo, as expected of someone who had once been an emperor, could lie without batting an eye. He said shamelessly, "I was just thinking of coming here for a stroll when I ran into you, Mo Yu. What a coincidence."
"You really know how to pick a place."
Qin Moyu rolled his eyes, a rare occurrence for him. He just couldn't understand it. It should have been the time when Shen Mo's plan to become emperor of the four continents was in full swing, so how come this person was "accidentally" running into him everywhere as if nothing was wrong? Could becoming emperor be so simple? Just sit on him while still dressed?