Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 202

My mother was asleep on the bed next to me. I glanced at her, about to turn back, when I suddenly saw the bed move slightly, and someone slowly sat up. A sinister smile, long, disheveled hair, bulging eyes, and throbbing temples—Meng Xue'er smiled softly, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at me with a chilling gaze: "Lin Jialan, you will never be able to beat me..."

I suppressed my fear and turned away from her. But as soon as I lay down, I saw her floating above me, her smile sinister yet radiant. Drops of blood dripped down her long hair, clinging to my neck and entangling me.

I instantly lost my breath, as if someone had truly grabbed my throat. Xue'er's cold, blood-tinged breath seemed to touch my face: "Lin Jialan, do you still want to fight me? Do you still want to fight me?"

At that moment, fear and pain overwhelmed me. I forgot that what was in front of me wasn't real, but just an illusion. I said in a hoarse voice, "I never intended to compete with you. Who Xu Lie loves is his choice. What's the use of you resenting me?"

Xue'er gave a chilling laugh, her bulging eyes reflecting my ashen face, filled with disdain: "You really didn't think about it?"

"Lin Jialan, you always say you don't care, but deep down you still blame Xu Lie, right? You blame him for not believing you back then, for choosing to come with me, for causing you to lose your child and your sight. You always think we owe you something, you always think no one loved you as deeply as you did back then, so even though you don't love him anymore, there's still a lingering affection in your heart? It's this lingering affection that makes Xu Lie yearn for you, that makes him think there's still hope!"

I trembled slightly, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal. Xue'er's voice was like an icicle piercing my chest, cold and painful, the wound numb, cold, and cracking open.

"Whether in the past or now, there will always only be Xu Lie in my heart! You can hide in another man's arms and fall in love with someone else when you're heartbroken and cold-hearted, but I will love him until death! Lin Jialan, can you do that? Do you dare to say that you have ever loved more deeply than I have? If it weren't for you, Xu Lie would have changed his mind about me! If it weren't for you, we would be happily together! If it weren't for you, neither of us would have died! From the past to the present! Why do you compete with me, and what right do you have to compete with me?!"

Xue'er smiled chillingly, reaching out to pull out the intestines and lay them in front of me. She spoke gently and gracefully, each word distinct: "See? This is the result of your struggle with me. Lin Jialan, it was your ruthlessness and selfishness that killed me, killed Xu Lie! It was you who brought about this ending!"

I screamed, and Xue'er laughed loudly above me as she flew away, her clear and melodious voice echoing in the air: "Lin Jialan, you can't win against the wrong, you'll never win against me..."

With a snap, the light came on, and Mom rushed over in a panic, shouting, "Lanlan, what's wrong? What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

I stared blankly at the ceiling, a pure white expanse, nothing there, as if everything that had just happened was truly a nightmare. But why was the lingering fear after waking up so deep and intense?

I heard Xu Lie calling my name softly and gently, with affection and a smile, again and again: "Galan...Galan..."

I closed my eyes, my tearless eyes stinging and aching. I could only curl up, hug my cold body, and tremble silently.

Chapter 48 Though separated by vast distances, we are close at heart.

Days passed by like this, one after another. Unable to sleep, I forced myself to. I always woke up from nightmares like this: the same dusk, the same abandoned building, bullets flying, gruesome blood…

But after having the same nightmare so many times, even the deepest fears become numb, and the deepest pain becomes a scar. Day after day, night after night, I looked at that terrifying face and the glaring blood, and finally, I got used to it, the habit of silently enduring it while trembling.

After all, life goes on.

That day, I leaned against the couch, looking at the military defense map of Jinyao Feiyang City, and then slowly drifted off to sleep. In my dream, I saw that hideous, distorted face again, whispering, "You can't beat me, you can't beat me..."

Suddenly, a pair of warm hands enveloped me, forcefully pulling me out of the icy hell, gently spreading warmth into my heart. I opened my eyes and, sure enough, saw Yihan's face, his dark purple eyes swirling with deep emotions, a mixture of heartache and pity.

I hugged him back, burying my face deep in his chest, inhaling his cool and reassuring scent.

"Lin Yu, how long will you grieve for his death?" Yi Han asked me in a cold voice, his hands holding me trembling slightly. "Will it be a lifetime?"

I couldn't lift my face, so I buried my face in his chest and said with a smile, "Am I doing well now? I'm still reviewing memorials, still commanding troops, still capturing two cities in a month... Yihan, I... am doing well."

His embrace was stiff, carrying a chilling coldness, and his voice was cold and menacing: "Lin Yu, why did you have to lie to me? Or do you really think you can fool me?"

I shook my head in his arms, my voice dry and parched, much like Quan Ji's withered autumn: "I just want to deceive myself." With a soft sigh, I said, "Life is such a fragile thing. I fear most the day when everyone dies and leaves me, and I am left alone, keeping company with loneliness and solitude, and with eternal cold."

Yi Han's embrace softened, his chin resting on the top of my head, the stubble of his stubble prickling my scalp, causing a slight pain. He said, "Lin Yu, even if everyone abandons you, I will never let go of your hand, never!"

"Do you still remember what I said by the waterfall back then?" Yi Han looked down at me, his eyes gentle yet resolute. "Lin Yu, I love you. No matter what, I will always be by your side. For all eternity, I will never abandon you."

I stared at him, stunned, as if a void in my heart was slowly being filled by something soft and warm. Yi Han lowered his head and gently kissed my lips, saying each word clearly, "Lin Yu, do you believe me?"

I nodded firmly. This was the only thing I had never wavered in: "I believe in you, and I believe in myself. No matter how much pain we've been through, or how much hurt we may experience in the future, I will never let go of you!"

Yi Han deepened the kiss, removed my coat, and pulled me into the bed. He held me tightly in his strong arms, his embrace warm and broad, as if to dispel all my fear and give me eternal comfort and support.

I pulled open his shirt and pressed my cold face against his bare face. His breathing became rapid and shallow, his chest rising and falling, as the burning heat passed between us.

I hugged his waist tightly and kissed his chest and collarbone. My heart felt cold and empty, and at any moment, feelings of loneliness and fear would flood my entire body, making me shiver uncontrollably.

How I long to engulf myself entirely within Yihan, to be pampered and protected by him, so that I would never feel a trace of sorrow again. How I long to engulf Yihan within myself, to fill my heart and my mind completely, so that I would never think of anyone else.

Without a word, Yi Han pinned me down and tore off my clothes. His gentle yet firm possession, restraining my hands, seemed so resolute and powerful, as if it were because he had heard the cry from the depths of my heart.

The entanglement slowly spread like wildfire. My hair fell loose and intertwined with his silver strands, circle after circle, strand after strand, just like our predestined fate, which could not be untangled.

Sweat soaked our bodies, and our skin stuck together, making it impossible to distinguish one another.

I was exhausted, but he showed no sign of stopping. He kept taking me over and over, not stopping for half the night, as if tomorrow was the end of the world and he didn't want to miss a single second of being with me.

I don't know when I drifted off to sleep, but I felt someone holding me, slowly tightening their arms until I was almost suffocating before letting go. Gentle kisses landed on my forehead, my brow, my lips, and he whispered in my ear, "Lin Yu, I will never let go of your hand, no matter what happens, you must believe me..."

The next day, I didn't wake up until late morning. My whole body ached. After getting dressed, I tried to get up but fell back onto the bed. I had nowhere to vent my frustration, so I could only curse Yihan fiercely.

I was feeling dejected when the door was suddenly pushed open, and Yunyan, dressed in light red, flashed in. I blushed for no reason and quickly leaned against the headboard, pretending not to want to get up.

Yunyan, however, was not as sensitive as usual. Her beautiful brows were furrowed, and her long eyelashes drooped, obscuring the light in her eyes. She tossed me two bottles of medicine and said, "The blue one is for external application, and the red one is for internal use."

"What?" I looked up in surprise.

Yun Yan blinked and gave an ambiguous smile: "This morning, our Emperor stammered for a long time before I finally understood what medicine he wanted. You mustn't let him down."

I immediately blushed with embarrassment, feeling both awkward and sweet inside, and couldn't help but curse Yihan again.

I coughed twice to cover my embarrassment and whispered, "Where's Yihan? Is he at the military camp?"

My words made Yunyan's expression change. She forced a smile and said, "Probably, I... I'm not really sure either."

I looked at Yunyan, feeling strange. They had started acting strangely three days ago. Whenever they saw me, they hesitated, looking worried and fearful, though I couldn't tell who they were afraid of. I wanted to slap someone like Qin Wu and ask them a question, but I hadn't seen him for three days. When I asked Yihan, he only said that he had been sent elsewhere.

I'm always trusting of those I truly trust, and I'm often oblivious to any schemes unfolding around me. But this time, it was all too obvious, even Yunyan...

My face suddenly turned cold, and I said sharply, "Yunyan, what exactly are you hiding from me?!"

Yunyan was startled, her eyes filled with panic, and her lips moved for a long time before she was about to speak. I suddenly said angrily, "If you lie to me again, I'll break off all ties with you!"