L'hibiscus comme peinture - Chapitre 94
"No, Jinxuan, get up, get up! I haven't told you my choice yet, you haven't heard me say I accept you, how can you leave me? How can you run away from me?..." Aojun hugged Jinxuan tightly, shaking him as she cried.
No matter how much she cried and shouted, the person in her arms didn't react and remained lying quietly.
Slowly, Ao Jun calmed down, wiped away her tears, and revealed a captivating smile. She gently whispered in Jin Xuan's ear, "Jin Xuan, I love you, my heart loves you. But how could you leave me just when I've finally seen my own heart clearly and understood what it means to choose with my heart? Are you punishing me? Punishing my foolishness, punishing me for only seeing my own heart clearly now? But do you think I'll let you leave me again?" Another captivating smile followed.
She gave Jinxuan one last deep look, then slowly raised her hand. Just as she was about to slap herself on the head, a strong hand grabbed her hand that was about to harm herself.
Kyoto Chapter 68: Falling in Love! Naming the Character!
She took one last deep look at Jinxuan, then slowly raised her hand. Just as she was about to slap herself on the head, a strong hand grabbed her hand that was about to harm herself.
“My lord…” A tender call came from her arms.
Ao Jun looked down into her arms in disbelief. She was afraid; she was afraid it was just a hallucination, afraid she would be disappointed. Only when she truly met those deep, misty black eyes gazing at her with such deep affection did she believe it. How familiar those eyes were, how unforgettable they were, etched into her very bones. Her heart overflowed with joy and shock at having found him again, leaving her speechless. She could only look back at Jin Xuan with the same deep affection, gazing into the depths of his soul, unable to look away for even a moment, afraid that if she looked away, she would find it was just a dream, that Jin Xuan was truly gone. She tightened her grip on Jin Xuan's hand, her other hand still held by him. The warmth emanating from his palm told her that it was Jin Xuan's warmth, proof that he was alive, that he was warming her heart…
Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as if the whole world consisted only of the two of them. They gazed at each other with deep affection, their eyes expressing their profound love and all-encompassing devotion. Their clasped hands powerfully conveyed their lifelong vow to "hold hands and grow old together." Their tightly embraced bodies offered each other warmth. There was no room for a third person between them. The overwhelming emotion they shed, the tears of happiness beyond words, moved everyone present...
After the initial happiness and emotion, it was time to settle accounts. After all, Ling Aojun's tears weren't shed in vain. She, the dignified 'Cold-Faced Saintly Ruler' of the 21st century, wasn't someone to be trifled with. Anyone who dared to mess with her seemed to have a death wish...
The room, which had just been filled with the clash of swords, was now even more terrifying than before, causing all living beings to flee in fear. The icy chill could be felt even outside the room, and the air pressure was so low that even the summit of the Himalayas paled in comparison.
Meanwhile, the source of all the terror and chilling aura was sitting leisurely on the tatami mat, holding a teacup in one hand and tapping the table with the other. His eyes were lowered, as if he was deep in thought or dozing off. He didn't look scary at all!
The two people sitting in front of her had their heads down, sweating profusely, and didn't dare to look at her at all, like schoolchildren waiting for their teacher's punishment after doing something wrong. These two were none other than the most powerful people in the world—the Emperor and Empress of the Longxuan Dynasty. On the other side sat a prince leisurely drinking tea, but if you looked closely, you would notice suspicious beads of sweat on his forehead, and the tea he was drinking hadn't diminished in a long time. His eyes were intentionally or unintentionally glancing at the white-clad beauty who was leisurely tapping the table.
“Jun…actually…” Ao Xue couldn’t take it anymore, and stammered as she wiped her sweat from her brow and looked at Ao Jun.
"Hmm?" Ao Jun raised her head, looking at Ao Xue expressionlessly, waiting for her to continue.
"Uh...hehe..." When Ao Xue was looked at by Ao Jun, she broke out in a cold sweat even more fiercely. She lowered her head, not daring to look at her again, and laughed awkwardly to herself. Don't think that just because she grew up with Jun, she wouldn't be frozen by Jun's cold aura. In fact, the thing she feared most was angering Jun. The consequences were something that she, who was fearless, could not accept, and probably no one could accept either, especially when she looked at you expressionlessly with calm eyes, but exuded an extremely low pressure. It was more painful than going through fire and water.
"Speak! I'm waiting for you to speak," Ao Jun's calm and unwavering voice gently escaped, but it made Jin Xuan's hand holding the cup tremble. He looked at Zheng Xuan, who at this moment had no imperial demeanor whatsoever, with a touch of sympathy: "Brother, I've troubled you for my sake."
"My lord, actually, we're only saying this for your own good! You... please don't be angry anymore." Aoxue bit her lip, risking being frozen solid, and said pitifully. Waaah... she had no choice but to stand up for her beloved husband; she couldn't let him be 'scared to death'! She was already used to dealing with him and could handle things fairly well.
"I just want to know, what happened to Jinxuan just now?" Aojun ignored how pitiful Aoxue was pretending, and said indifferently while turning the teacup in her hand. Daring to play dead? Doesn't he know that he will scare people to death? He almost made her commit suicide with him.
"Actually, although the black-clad man's palm strike was heavy, Jin'er's martial arts are far superior. That strike couldn't have hurt Jin'er at all. Seeing how anxious you were, I suddenly remembered what Qing'er said: you need to be forced to see your true self. So... so I... took advantage of Jinxuan's momentary lapse in attention and struck his pressure points, making you..." Zhengxuan, holding Aoxue's hand, explained somewhat hesitantly. He, a dignified emperor, was already completely under Qing'er's thumb, after all, she was his beloved wife! But now, being frozen so cold by his 'subject' made him look like a complete tyrant, if word got out, he would be laughed to death by the entire court.
"So you want me to confess to Jinxuan?" Ao Jun continued coldly, her eyes turning icy. Why play this game when there's nothing else to do? I never imagined that a dignified emperor would be such a treacherous villain, causing her to shed so many tears and making her lose face in front of his mother.
"You can't blame us! It's your own fault for loving Jinxuan but not being able to see your own heart. We told you to use your heart to choose, but with your idiotic emotional intelligence, you'd probably be waiting until it's too late to make a decision. And then this happened, so Xiaoxuan and I had no choice but to play along." Aoxue mustered her courage and spoke loudly, as if to say, 'It's your own fault for being useless, that's why we helped you, and you're blaming us.' But the louder she spoke, the more uneasy she felt, truly afraid that Aojun would emanate an even colder aura.
Ao Jun remained silent, staring intently at Ao Xue, a sigh escaping her lips. "Xue really understands her!" she thought. "If it weren't for their scheme, who knows how long it would have taken for her to see her own heart clearly, and how much longer Jin Xuan would have grieved for her!" But of all the schemes, why did they have to use the bombing? Not only did it cause her so many tears, but it also made her lose face in front of them, confessing her love for Jin Xuan right there in front of them—how utterly shameful… Her face flushed, slowly turning a deep red.
Seeing Ao Jun suddenly blush, Ao Xue stared at her with wide eyes, as if she were looking at an alien: Jun can blush too? The 'cold-faced saint' can be shy too, heavens! It's like a rain of blood! Where's the camera? Where's the camera? This historic moment is definitely worth capturing, it's truly a once-in-a-millennium event!
"Jun, my brother and Yuqing are doing this for our own good, so please don't be angry anymore." Jinxuan put down his teacup, walked over to sit down next to Aojun, and gently put his arm around her. At this moment, it was time for him to step in and smooth things over, not for his brother and sister-in-law, but because he saw Aojun's blushing face and knew she was embarrassed. He stepped forward to save her from embarrassment.
But Jinxuan was wrong. As soon as he put his arm around her, Aojun's face turned even redder. She lowered her eyes and head, almost burying herself in Jinxuan's arms. All her arrogance vanished. The cold wave alarm and the ultra-low pressure alarm in the room were immediately lifted, and the temperature rose sharply. Ah, so comfortable! They had never known that the air could be so fresh. Zhengxuan and Aoxue both breathed a heavy sigh of relief, their breathing finally becoming smooth. Ah, this is the power of love.
"Hey Jun! Xiao Xuan and I won't disturb your time together, we're off!" Ao Xue seemed to think Ao Jun's face wasn't red enough, so she teased him relentlessly. Satisfied to see Ao Jun's originally fair cheeks turn as red as if they could bleed, she pulled Zheng Xuan and they smiled at each other before running out of the room. She was still regretting that she didn't have a camera to capture that 'historic' moment.
The room fell silent for a moment, with only the two embracing. Jin Xuan looked at Ao Jun, whose face was flushed and nestled in his arms, with a look of happiness and doting. His heart was full of happiness and sweetness. Even now, he couldn't believe that Jun really said she loved him, that Jun really accepted him. His unrequited love had finally received Jun's response. Jun even wanted to die for him. It was like a dream. If it really was a dream, then he would never wake up from it.
"Jun... if this is a dream, then I would rather never wake up." Jin Xuan held Ao Jun tightly in his arms, kissed her soft black hair, took a deep breath of the fragrance emanating from her hair, and murmured softly.
"This isn't a dream, Jinxuan. I'm sorry, I've kept you waiting too long. I was too slow to react." Aojun reached out and hugged Jinxuan tightly, saying affectionately, "Hehehe... Who would have thought that Ling Aojun could be so affectionate!"
"No, no, it's not too late at all, and never say sorry to me." Jin Xuan hugged Ao Jun even tighter in excitement, as if he wanted to meld into his body. He said excitedly and emotionally that he was not dreaming. He really, truly had Jun, his strategist. Suddenly, he leaned down and whispered in Ao Jun's ear with a hint of wickedness, "What I want to hear are three other words, the three words you said when you hugged me."
"Which three words? I don't know!" Ao Jun lowered her head further, pretending to be stupid. Anyway, she was clueless about love, so it was perfectly reasonable that she didn't understand.
"Really? Then I'll tell you. Say it, I love you..." Jin Xuan wouldn't let Ao Jun pretend to be stupid anymore. He lifted Ao Jun's head, which was lowered as low as it could go, and breathed into her ear, his deep eyes shining brightly. Jun's avoidance had caused him too much suffering, and her ruthlessness had broken his heart. Now he wouldn't let her pretend to be stupid anymore.
"When did I ever say those three words?" Ao Jun simply denied it outright. It turned out she was just like all women, breaking her promises in front of her lover. Why was Jin Xuan breathing into her ear, making her feel all over, like dozens of ants were crawling inside her, leaving her feeling both restless and weak?
"You... fine! I didn't expect you to break your word. Let's see how I punish you..." Jin Xuan was taken aback by Ao Jun's denial, then a smile appeared on his lips. He flipped over and pinned Ao Jun down, and then... started tickling her... It seems that Ao Jun has been betrayed by Ao Xue once again.
"Haha...ha...you actually...haha...can't take it anymore...haha...Xue...I...won't...let...you...haha...can't take it anymore...Jin...Xuan...stop...haha..." Ao Jun laughed heartily, still uttering harsh words to the exhausted Ao Xue. Jin Xuan knew her weakness; it must have been that traitorous Ling Ao Xue who sold her sister for personal gain who told him. She'd see how she dealt with her later, to avenge the 'rib porridge' incident this morning, plus the current situation of being controlled by someone else. Xue, you're dead. (A certain Xue was nestled in her beloved husband's arms when she suddenly shivered violently.)
"Did you say it or not! Did you say it or not..." Jin Xuan smiled wickedly, threateningly, his hands showing no sign of stopping. The current ruler is the true ruler.
"Haha...say...say...haha...I can't take it anymore...stop...haha...I..." Ao Jun succumbed to the tickling again. It seemed to be a fatal weakness of hers! But she really couldn't take it anymore; she was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face, and her stomach hurt so much. Damn Jin Xuan, did he have a grudge against her stomach? That bowl of 'rib porridge' this morning almost killed her, and now was he going to take away even her last half of life?!
"Finally, you admitted it." Jin Xuan stopped with satisfaction, smiled happily, and gently wiped away the tears streaming down Ao Jun's face. He half-embraced her, wishing he could hold her like this forever until they grew old.
"Huff...you...if you dare tickle me again, I'll beat you to a pulp." Ao Jun leaned against Jin Xuan's chest, panting heavily as she spoke fiercely. But these fierce words sounded utterly harmless! Instead, they sounded like she was being coquettish. Was she still the same strategist who struck fear into the hearts of everyone on the battlefield, a figure almost like a god? She was acting like a little woman.
"Haha..." Seeing his arrogant lord 'threatening' him like this, Jin Xuan laughed heartily. His lord was so adorable, haha... His strategist threatened to beat him to a pulp? My lord, you are such a treasure! I, Ouyang Jin Xuan, am so fortunate to have you in this life, I don't know how many blessings I accumulated in my past life? I have no regrets in this life, I only wish to be with you until the end of time, to follow you to the ends of the earth, forever and ever!
Hearing Jinxuan's hearty laughter and feeling his strong heartbeat, Aojun smiled sweetly, her heart overflowing. This must be what Xue meant when she said the heart is complete because of love! She wished time could stand still at this moment, that she and Jinxuan could stay together forever. But if fate were to take her back to the 21st century, she wouldn't let go. She couldn't bear to. This warmth, this sweet feeling, this love that penetrated to the bone, made it impossible for her to let go. Tonight had taught her that life is unpredictable, anything can happen, so why should she worry about the unknown? Not only would she suffer, but she would also cause Jinxuan, who loved her deeply, immense pain, and make everyone who cared about her anxious and sad. She wanted to cherish every moment with Jinxuan, to be as happy and fulfilled as Xue was. Jinxuan, with you in this life, that's enough!
"My lord, be my queen!" Jin Xuan suddenly whispered to Ao Jun with deep affection, his words full of expectation. Although Jun had accepted him, chosen him, and said she loved him, he was still uneasy about the other person in her heart. He always felt that the road between him and Jun was still difficult, as if there were still some unknown obstacles waiting for them. Only when Jun became his queen could he feel at ease and stop worrying about gain and loss.
"Huh?..." Ao Jun was stunned, staring blankly at Jin Xuan as if in disbelief. He... he was... proposing to her? But she wasn't ready! And she had just agreed to be with him, and now they were talking about marriage? Wasn't it supposed to be about dating first? She hadn't even dated before! This was a necessary stage in life, and she didn't want to skip ahead, much less reverse the order, getting married before dating... Besides, she was still a college student, very young, and didn't want to step into the grave of marriage so soon.
"You...don't want to?" Seeing Ao Jun's reaction, Jin Xuan's eyes darkened, and he murmured in a low voice, suddenly becoming listless, even though he was full of energy just now!
"No, it's just... I'm not ready yet. I... Jinxuan, let's date first!" Ao Jun gently smoothed Jinxuan's slightly furrowed brows, carefully checking his expression as she spoke. She didn't want to see him unhappy. She loved seeing his domineering presence and confident arrogance when he was in control, and disliked seeing him dejected. Perhaps there was another reason she didn't want to accept Jinxuan's proposal so quickly, a reason she didn't want to mention again, a taboo subject...
"Dating?" Jinxuan repeated in confusion, his brows relaxing considerably. He had been too hasty. This was a life-changing event, and he should have given Jun time to prepare. But what did "dating" mean? Where did Jun get all these quirky questions from?
"Ah! It's probably just two people in love eating together, playing together, shopping together, and... well, basically creating beautiful memories together!" Ao Jun pondered as she explained to Jin Xuan what dating was. Actually, it was her first time having a boyfriend, so she didn't really know anything. It seemed like that's what other people did when they were dating! In modern times, even a three-year-old knows what dating is. Who knew that ancient times were so backward? Everything required a long explanation! Ah! Wouldn't that be terrible later? She'd definitely be bombarded with questions. It's better to avoid using modern terms. Luckily, she didn't mention going to the movies, or she would have been questioned half to death again.
"Alright, then let's start dating." Jin Xuan affectionately pinched Ao Jun's high nose and smiled gently. Although he still didn't know what dating was, he was content as long as he could be with Jun. Moreover, Jun would be his queen sooner or later, and even if there were obstacles, he would definitely remove them one by one. No one could take Jun away from him.
"Yes!" Ao Jun nestled happily against Jin Xuan's broad chest and nodded. This was her first love. She really had a boyfriend. She was in love! She had always thought she would never find love in her life, but unexpectedly, she found true love in this ancient world. Mom and Dad... can you see this from heaven? Jun'er is very happy now. This man is your daughter's boyfriend. You will like him, won't you? You will bless us, won't you!