I just don't know what the outcome will be this year.
Li Xian'er was also successfully selected. It can be said that among the remaining people, apart from Luo Zhiheng, who is still not favored and doesn't have much real talent, everyone else, including Li Xian'er, is very strong. The competition becomes more and more dangerous and intense as it progresses.
Luo Zhiheng, clutching the zither, hurried back to the palace. She returned to her room with great excitement, only to be stunned.
In the dimly lit room, Mu Yunhe, whose skin was so pale it was almost transparent, was wrapped in a light purple undergarment. The collar was not open, and his delicate and slender collarbone was faintly visible. His black hair was loosely coiled on top of his head with a jade hairpin, and some of his long hair fell onto his cheeks, swaying gently as his eyelashes trembled slightly when he lowered his head.
He was reading a book, a radiant blush on his face. He was completely absorbed in his reading, quiet and ethereal, like a celestial being fallen from the clouds, so out of place with the surrounding darkness. He should belong to the light; his handsome and unparalleled face should not be hidden under this ugly darkness.
Luo Zhiheng didn't know what kind of feeling Mu Yunhe's appearance brought her at this moment. She only felt a sour and swollen feeling in her heart. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she was afraid that he would ascend to immortality at any moment and return to his kingdom without any regret.
Mu Yunhe felt a strong fragrance waft towards him. He looked up abruptly and was bumped right into. He instinctively tightened his arms around the delicate body in his embrace, and a scolding voice escaped his lips: "Aren't you afraid of getting hurt by being so reckless? Can't you just calm down?"
Luo Zhiheng grinned, tilting her little face up in his arms and giggling foolishly, "Isn't it because you're here to catch me?"
Because it was you, I felt safe enough to pounce on you.
Mu Yunhe's heart softened. Seeing the joy and mischief in her eyes, Mu Yunhe's face flushed a little. He coughed awkwardly and said, "Get up quickly, you're so heavy. You seem to have gotten fatter."
"No way!" Luo Zhiheng immediately bristled; she didn't want to become fat.
"What's that in your hand?" Mu Yunhe glanced at the zither and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
"Oh, my first trophy! For Little Hehe." Luo Zhiheng quickly presented the treasure, looking at him with eyes full of joy.
Mu Yunhe could guess the reason for her attentiveness, but he didn't help her because of her flattery. He couldn't explain why he was helping her either, but he just didn't want her to get hurt in any way.
He finally accepted the zither, and the feeling of holding it made Mu Yunhe instantly fall in love with it. He could feel all the desolation, loneliness, despair, and darkness within it! The zither seemed to have a soul, instantly touching all the emotions in Mu Yunhe's heart.
He felt that he and the instrument were so alike.
Luo Zhiheng could tell at a glance that Mu Yunhe liked the zither. She clung to him like a rascal and whined, "You have no idea how miserable I was today, but it doesn't matter. Winning this zither made it all worthwhile. I knew you would like it because it feels like a second Mu Yunhe to me. It shone brightly today, and I believe my little Hehe will shine brightly one day too."
Mu Yunhe felt a sudden tenderness in his heart and instinctively wanted to pat her hand as he held hers. However, upon noticing the book she was still holding, Mu Yunhe's expression changed drastically! 15461846
He quickly withdrew his hand, almost causing Luo Zhiheng to fall onto the bed without his arm for support. But no matter how fast he moved, Luo Zhiheng saw it.
"What book are you carrying? Why are you putting it in the back?" Luo Zhiheng asked curiously. Suddenly, she noticed that Mu Yunhe's expression was awkward and his eyes were shifty. She suddenly sat up straight and stared at him.
"It's nothing, just the medical skills you bought," Mu Yunhe said, feigning composure, and tried to change the subject: "This zither is very good, just put it in the room."
Whether it was because this was the first gift Luo Zhiheng had given him, or because Luo Zhiheng's words had touched him, Mu Yunhe liked the zither very much and valued it highly.
After putting down her zither, Luo Zhiheng went to wash up and remove her makeup. She didn't ask about the book again. Mu Yunhe breathed a sigh of relief, but he felt inexplicably uneasy. It wasn't like Luo Zhiheng was so easy to let it go. Just then, Xiao Xizi came in to serve him. He quickly handed the book to Xiao Xizi and whispered, "Take it back and hide it well. Don't let anyone find it, and don't tell the little princess."
Xiao Xizi was terrified of Luo Zhiheng. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly hid the book in his arms and tiptoed out.
Mu Yunhe detoxified twice today following the steps in the book. Strangely, each time he had Luo Zhiheng's image in his mind. Moreover, after the first detoxification, he was still savoring that comfortable feeling. Just thinking about Luo Zhiheng's soft body and sweet scent made him hard again.
So he did it again. After two rounds, he felt better, but his guilt deepened, and he gradually felt ashamed. He had just been trying to figure out how this situation could occur. The book didn't mention thinking about women. But he dared not let Luo Zhiheng know about this shameful thing.
Luo Zhiheng's eerie voice suddenly drifted over: "What are you thinking about? You seem so absent-minded. Little Hehe, do you have some secret you're hiding from me?"
Mu Yunhe instinctively answered loudly, "No!"
Chapter 1 complete. One more chapter today! Please vote, leave comments, and give monthly tickets! Mwah, my darlings!
129. A repressed passion sparks an argument: one is hurt, the other is angry!
Updated: 2013-06-26 11:35:12 Word Count: 3674
Luo Zhiheng squinted and quietly watched Mu Yunhe for a while before going out to find out what had happened that day and to get some food. With her not home, it would be inconvenient for Mu Yunhe to eat, and the snacks were almost gone, so she needed to get some more for him. Just as she stepped out, she bumped into Xiao Xizi, who was about to go inside. Xiao Xizi instinctively turned away from Luo Zhiheng when he saw her.
Luo Zhiheng found it amusing, and said in a sinister tone, "Why are you running? Do you think I'm going to eat you?"
Xiao Xizi stopped, trembling with fear, not daring to look at Luo Zhiheng, and kept her head down.
"How was your day, Your Highness?" Luo Zhiheng asked, then suddenly added, "Are you and your master hiding something from me?"
"No! Really, really no!" Little Xizi was almost in tears. How could the little princess be so shrewd?
Luo Zhiheng was certain there was something wrong, but she was too busy these past few days to rush things. She would wait a few days and see if Luo Zhiheng would uncover Mu Yunhe's little secret.
After making sure everything was alright for the day, Luo Zhiheng returned to her room. The dim light made her feel suffocated, so she tentatively said, "Mu Yunhe, can we let this room get some sunlight? Even if you don't want to go outside, you can still get some light, right? Can we take down the curtains and open the window?"
While Mu Yunhe was unconscious, Luo Zhiheng took it upon herself to pull down the curtains and open the window. When Mu Yunhe awoke, he coldly said, "Seal it up immediately! Anyone who opens it again will be kicked out of my courtyard."
Back then, Luo Zhiheng and Mu Yunhe weren't this friendly, so she didn't care much about Mu Yunhe's domineering tone. But things are different now. If Mu Yunhe dares to speak like that again, Luo Zhiheng will definitely turn on him.
Mu Yunhe's face stiffened and turned cold. He looked at her coldly and asked, "Have you forgotten what I said?"
Mu Yunhe has been speaking strangely lately. Sometimes he says "I" and sometimes he refers to himself as "this king." Luo Zhiheng has noticed this as well. He says "I" when he's happy or in a good mood, and uses "this king" when he's unhappy or angry. This special treatment is only given to Luo Zhiheng.
"You're angry already?" Luo Zhiheng was completely puzzled, but still smiled and advised, "Actually, getting more sun is very beneficial."
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Mu Yunhe completely ignored Luo Zhiheng's words and asked to himself. There was a peculiar expectation in his deep eyes.
Luo Zhiheng was taken aback: "What did you say? No." 15461879
Mu Yunhe's emotions suddenly surged, and he suppressed his rage as his face hardened: "Really nothing? You've been outside all day, and you really have nothing to say to me? Like, anything about the competition?"
Luo Zhiheng thought of the rumors that were detrimental to her and made her feel very depressed and angry. However, Mu Yunhe probably didn't know about them, so there was no need to let him know, lest it cause him unnecessary trouble. She pretended to be relaxed and said with a smile, "Really, it's nothing. But I won again today, hehe. Your kiss really does bring me good luck. Let's continue tomorrow."
Mu Yunhe's gaze turned completely cold, and Luo Zhiheng felt as if the air around her had instantly turned icy cold because of his change in attitude.
She lied to him! Or perhaps she simply didn't want to share her joys and sorrows with him? Such a huge matter outside, concerning her reputation and honor, so important, yet he had asked so clearly, and she hadn't uttered a single word! Did she, Luo Zhiheng, believe that Mu Yunhe couldn't give her anything, couldn't help her, and that she looked down on him? So she preferred to bear so much burden and grievance herself rather than tell him and let him help her bear it?
Mu Yunhe was meticulous and naturally suspicious. He wasn't someone who liked to be suspicious of others, but his illness isolated him from the world, and he lacked the confidence to gain Luo Zhiheng's full attention. He hadn't cared before, he had a choice, but now he wanted more of Luo Zhiheng's attention and care, and he wanted to know more about Luo Zhiheng's thoughts and secrets.
But she was unwilling to lay all these things out in front of him!
Suddenly, I felt incredibly sad and irritable. A throbbing, anxious pain shot through my chest. Mu Yunhe's face was extremely pale, his coldness sending chills down my spine.
He kept a close eye on her progress and safety. He had someone quickly relay news of Luo Zhiheng to him. He learned of the rumors circulating outside that could almost destroy her. He was anxious and worried all day. He even prepared a whole bunch of words to comfort her.
But……
Because of Luo Zhiheng's nonchalant remark, not a single word was needed! 129.
It was stuck in his heart, so painful and suffocating that Mu Yunhe felt a surge of anger rising within him, wishing he could tear Luo Zhiheng to pieces! At that moment, only one sentence echoed in his mind: Anyone can look down on him, distrust him, but Luo Zhiheng cannot!
Luo Zhiheng's ability to read people's expressions was a bit too slow for Mu Yunhe to keep up with. Mu Yunhe's expressions changed too quickly, and Luo Zhiheng was completely confused. So she continued with the previous topic: "Little Hehe, if your room is always dark, it will grow mold. Look at your pale face now. If you are exposed to light often, your skin will become a healthy and beautiful wheat color. You know, it is very attractive for men to have that kind of skin."
Luo Zhiheng was a bandit in her past life, and she dared to say anything. In addition, her mother couldn't wait for her to get married, so she snatched all kinds of men for her. She had done a lot of research, so she naturally had a unique aesthetic sense about men.
In the past, Mu Yunhe would have at most mocked her for her lustful nature, but at this moment, Mu Yunhe suddenly could not bear to hear her talk about other men, and even less could he bear her comparing him to other men.
Mu Yunhe retorted sharply, "Wheat-colored skin? You like that kind? Then go find someone like that. Why bother scheming to marry me? I'm just sickly like this, and I can't get better. If you want to find a way out for yourself, I can't stop you, can I?"
The illness that had plagued him for over a decade was the greatest pain of his life. He thought he could face it calmly, but recently, hearing Luo Zhiheng say that he was unwell, Mu Yunhe felt a sense of dread, as if the sky were falling and the earth were collapsing. In his anger, he became obsessed with suspicion, thinking that Luo Zhiheng not only didn't trust him, but also looked down on him. Luo Zhiheng was indeed very hypocritical.
Luo Zhiheng's smile froze, and she said blankly, "Why are you talking like that? I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that you can't keep going like this. You have to take a step forward, don't you? Didn't we agree to work together? Didn't you also say that we should try to live well? If you keep going on like this, living this wrong way of life, when will we be able to break free from this life of constraint?"
"This is how I am. Didn't you say I would never live past twenty? So what are you struggling for? What? Do you regret marrying me now? Luo Zhiheng, it's not too late to regret it. While I'm still alive, tell me what you want. I will give you whatever I can, so that I won't die with regrets and feel like I owe you something!" Every word Mu Yunhe spoke was negative, and every word carried a sharp barb.
He was like a fish swimming freely in the water, struggling on a nearly dried-up shallow beach. He met the water named Luo Zhiheng, and only then did he have the means to continue swimming. He seemed to depend on Luo Zhiheng for survival. Luo Zhiheng's joys and sorrows would easily affect him and become his own joys and sorrows.
Now, Luo Zhiheng, this clear pool, gives him a sense of impending loss of control and a fear he has never had before. The fish is uneasy and panicked. So the docile fish turns into a shark with sharp teeth, wishing it could swallow Luo Zhiheng whole and hide him in its belly, so that there would be no possibility of escaping it!
And isn't his sharpness also due to Luo Zhiheng's unwillingness to be honest with him? And isn't it also due to the inferiority complex that has been imprisoned in darkness for too long? Mu Yunhe is not incapable of coming out of the darkness, it's just that the timing is wrong, the method is wrong, and Luo Zhiheng, whom he cares about more and more, is not giving him the sense of security he should have.
Mu Yunhe's sharp and cold attitude infuriated Luo Zhiheng. She had spent a whole day battling physically and mentally outside, and now she had to come back and endure his scorn and mockery? She stood up abruptly and said stiffly, "You remembered what that imposter said? Why didn't you remember our deal? You promised to live well, and you said you'd listen to me on some things. Why can't I even discuss opening these few tattered curtains with you now? Mu Yunhe, aren't you incredibly forgetful!"
"A deal?!" Mu Yunhe's eyes, which had been lowered, suddenly snapped up, his gaze sharp and cold, piercing Luo Zhiheng's eyes. His tone was sinister: "You treat what happened between us as a deal? You've been claiming to be on my side all along, is it because you're making a deal with me?"
The usually eloquent Luo Zhiheng suddenly found herself speechless! She was stunned by Mu Yunhe's pale face and questioning tone. A transaction—it was a perfectly normal word, and before, they were practically strangers; a transaction would have been the most appropriate description. But why, when she could confidently refute Mu Yunhe's words, could she simply not utter the words?
Mu Yunhe suddenly exploded, his words dripping with malice and venom: "So, Luo Zhiheng, how's the deal you're talking about going? You protect me so I can live, and I live for the sake of our lives—basically, I try my best to survive so you can live. But what have you sacrificed for this deal? Your so-called protection? Yes, you did, but I suddenly feel that what you've done isn't enough. Isn't your life worth more? Or are you willing to offer your body as a sacrifice, becoming a bargaining chip in this deal?"
His hands gripped the blankets tightly, veins bulging and knuckles clearly visible. He was clearly tense and distressed to the point of death, yet he was smiling. That smile meandered across his peerless, handsome face, but it seemed to become a forbidden curse, slowly cracking open, revealing unspeakable sorrow and loneliness beneath the layers of fissures.
Luo Zhiheng realized she couldn't stand Mu Yunhe's sorrowful yet mocking attitude and expression. She wasn't known for her good temper, and was even quite forthright and intolerant of anger. Her pent-up temper finally exploded. She kicked over a chair and angrily shouted, "You think you've lost out? You think this deal isn't worth it? You don't want to continue? You want to break up?"
With each question she asked, Mu Yunhe's pupils contracted slightly. Suddenly, Luo Zhiheng sneered, "Fine! I'll grant your wish! We'll go our separate ways!"
She kicked the stool away, stormed off in a fit of rage. The tension in Mu Yunhe's eyes shattered instantly! His eyes were bloodshot!
Oh my god, the couple had a fight! Come watch, everyone! Haha, arguments are like yeast that strengthens a couple's relationship! Want to know how they made up? Want to know who took the initiative to comfort the other? Give them lots of votes and comments, and even more monthly tickets! Haha, muah, my darlings!
130 Conflicting emotions! Hugging a pillow, still thinking of her! A murderous aura lurks everywhere!
Updated: 2013-06-27 11:43:12 Word Count: 7943
Mu Yunhe sat on the bed with a cold face, his eyes seemingly frozen, staring coldly at the door. A stool that Luo Zhiheng had kicked over stood awkwardly by the door, a stark reminder that he and Luo Zhiheng had just had a fight.
A very new and unfamiliar word; this was the first time in his nineteen years of life that he had ever argued with anyone. Even though he was stubborn before, he would never argue with his father, though he might talk back. But this was the first time they had truly argued. And the feeling of arguing was surprisingly unpleasant.
"Master! Master! The little princess... " Xiao Xizi rushed in from outside, panting.
Mu Yunhe sat up abruptly, his whole body tense, interrupting Xiao Xizi: "How is Aheng? Is she really... gone?"
Xiao Xizi stood a little further away, her face pale, almost crying: "I... I couldn't leave! The wet nurse stopped me, and I'm in her room now."
Mu Yunhe suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed, only then realizing that his voice had been trembling when he spoke.
It's good that you didn't leave, it's good that you didn't leave...
He murmured unconsciously, but he was still worried. Why had he gotten so caught up in his own thoughts? Ah Heng always seemed cheerful and playful, but he knew the stubbornness in her bones. If it weren't for her stubbornness and unwillingness to admit defeat, this young girl wouldn't have wanted to compete with him.
She just said she was leaving, saying things like "let's part ways," did she really mean it? Or was it just something she said in anger? Mu Yunhe felt extremely irritated. He had never really understood Luo Zhiheng, and today's Luo Zhiheng made him feel like he couldn't grasp her at all.
She was genuinely angry, but he was just as angry and upset. Should he apologize to her? Of course not! She didn't even take him seriously, so he couldn't be too attentive, or this woman would become incredibly arrogant. Besides, he hadn't done anything wrong at the beginning. Luo Zhiheng was trying to change his lifestyle, and he didn't like her methods and words, so naturally he had to object.
Seeing Mu Yunhe's constantly changing expression, Xiao Xizi whispered tremblingly, "Although we've temporarily stopped the young princess, she said she absolutely has to leave, and... and..."