Chapter 459: Compromise for Him
Shen Xihe's teasing made Xiao Huayong's eyes sparkle like starlight. He couldn't help lowering his head with a soft chuckle—a light, pure laugh that carried an intoxicating charm. "In this world, only you can know my entirety and witness my true nature."
Slowly lifting his gaze, the lingering night lamp cast a warm, gentle glow that softened his features. His clear eyes easily revealed a depth of tenderness. "And only you can make me shed my disguises and let down my guard."
Though his eyes weren't naturally peach-blossom shaped nor inherently amorous, they always held an intense, ink-dark passion that made one hesitant to meet them directly. Shen Xihe slightly averted her gaze, glancing at the sky. "Your Highness should rest a while longer."
With a low chuckle and a faint curl of his lips—she was avoiding him—Xiao Huayong felt no frustration. Instead, a secret delight quietly enveloped his heart. He murmured, "I must continue pretending to be unconscious tomorrow. Youyou, don't worry about me lacking sleep. Rather, it is you who should rest."
Nodding in agreement, Shen Xihe's gaze fell upon Xiao Huayong's fingers gripping her wrist, silently signaling for him to release her.
Xiao Huayong suddenly wore a roguish, mischievous smile. Not only did he not let go, but he pulled Shen Xihe onto the bed in one swift motion.
In what seemed like a blink, Shen Xihe's head was resting on the pillow. The familiar scent of Eucommia Leaf filled the air as Xiao Huayong lay beside her, half-propped up and looming over her. Meeting her furious eyes, he continued to smile unabashedly.
Knowing she wouldn't make a sound to attract attention, he slowly lowered his head, his deep ocean-like eyes shimmering with ambiguous light.
Shen Xihe stared fixedly at him, her pupils frost-covered, simmering with unspoken fury that promised retribution if he dared misbehave.
His breath, carrying a hint of medicinal warmth, brushed against her face as he lay down closely beside her. His lips nearly touched her earlobe, his lowered voice tinged with an indescribable intimacy. "If Youyou leaves now, someone might suspect I've awakened. I'm afraid you'll have to endure staying here for the night. I swear I won't overstep."
"Despite being well-versed in the classics, does the Crown Prince not even know the meaning of 'overstep'?" Shen Xihe retorted coldly.
Holding her to share a bed, their hair entwined—was this not already overstepping?
"It's not that I don't know the meaning," Xiao Huayong let out a low chuckle from his chest, "but... when someone is indulged by Youyou... they grow bold without fear."
Shen Xihe's face flushed with anger, regretting her childhood frailty that prevented her from learning martial arts. If she possessed her father or brother's skills, she would have taught this shameless scoundrel a harsh lesson.
Knowing she always prioritized the bigger picture and wouldn't easily jeopardize him, he recklessly tested the limits of her tolerance, even boasting about it so blatantly and smugly.
Xiao Huayong knew he had crossed Shen Xihe's boundaries. Before she could erupt, he obediently rolled inward, pressing against the inner edge of the bed, leaving ample space between them and creating distance.
Shen Xihe quickly sat up. Her upbringing forbade her from casually sharing a bed with a man, even if he was her betrothed and even with space between them. Coldly, she moved to the nearby daybed, shifted the small table to one end, and lay down fully clothed, soon falling asleep.Her breathing was even and steady. Xiao Huayong couldn't help but turn to look at her. As he watched, something crossed his mind, and a heartfelt, beautiful smile suddenly appeared on his face. He fell asleep just like that, gazing at her.
In the morning, Xiao Huayong woke first. Hearing approaching footsteps, he sat up, and the movement caused Shen Xihe to open her eyes.
After exchanging a silent message through their eyes, Xiao Huayong lay back down. Shen Xihe walked to the door and opened it to find Liu Sanzhi, who was accompanied by three imperial physicians and Tianyuan.
"Your Highness." Liu Sanzhi bowed upon seeing Shen Xihe. "This servant has been ordered to check on His Highness."
Shen Xihe stepped aside. "The Crown Prince has not yet awakened."
Liu Sanzhi brought the physicians in to take turns checking Xiao Huayong's pulse. After murmuring among themselves, they shook their heads at Liu Sanzhi, who then respectfully announced he would return to report the situation before departing.
Shen Xihe returned to her own courtyard. Since she lived quite close to Xiao Huayong, she washed up and changed clothes before going to his residence for her morning meal.
This place was unlike the Eastern Palace, especially at this critical moment. Even if no one had been sent to watch them before, who knew how many hidden eyes were observing them now? During the daytime, Xiao Huayong didn't wake to speak with Shen Xihe.
Tianyuan prepared some medicinal soup to nourish the body - without any sustenance, even the strongest constitution would eventually weaken.
When Tianyuan tried to feed him, the medicine simply wouldn't go down. Shen Xihe remembered how, back in the Empress Dowager's palace, this rascal had insisted she feed him dumplings. Not wanting to indulge him, she strode out of the room, thinking he would eventually learn to behave without her presence.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Huayong refused to drink. Tianyuan spilled a bowl of medicine in the attempt and could only come to Shen Xihe in defeat. Shen Xihe was flipping through a book: "When he gets hungry enough, he'll drink."
It wasn't her going hungry, after all. She wanted to see how long this man could hold out.
As it turned out, Shen Xihe had underestimated Xiao Huayong's endurance. Even when his stomach growled loudly in the middle of the night, he could still pretend to be unconscious, lying with closed eyes. At first, Shen Xihe continued to ignore him, but the man's stomach kept rumbling.
Finally, too annoyed to bear it, Shen Xihe took a bowl of medicine and scooped up a spoonful. "Drink properly. Don't push your luck."
When she brought the spoon to Xiao Huayong's lips, he obediently opened his mouth. Though his eyes remained closed, his eyelashes and eyelids fluttered, and the corners of his mouth lifted in an irrepressible smile. That smug, triumphant expression nearly made Shen Xihe dump the entire bowl of medicine on his face.
After feeding him the medicine and waiting until everyone had left, Shen Xihe asked, "How long do you plan to keep up this act?"
She didn't want this situation to continue much longer. Withdrawing her care would arouse suspicion, but staying here to play along with his charade - was this scoundrel even doing anything human?
"This poison wasn't meant to be taken just once," he told her truthfully.
After all, it was poison. Even when fighting poison with poison, it had to be administered in stages. Otherwise, instead of suppressing each other, the two toxins might interact violently and kill him.
Shen Xihe frowned. It wasn't that she didn't believe Xiao Huayong, but she suddenly felt some heartache for him. "It must have been very difficult before."
These words made Xiao Huayong's heart bloom with joy, his face breaking into a radiant smile. Immediately forgetting himself in his delight, he grasped Shen Xihe's hand. "Not difficult at all. If it earns me even a third of Youyou's compassion, any amount of suffering would be worthwhile."Thinking this way, he felt grateful for having been poisoned. If not for the poisoning incident, he would likely not have gone into seclusion and feigned illness, nor would there have been the prognosis of a short lifespan. How then could he have gained Shen Xihe's favor because of it?
This cycle of cause and effect pleased him greatly.
"If enduring all kinds of hardships is necessary to meet you, then even the Avīci Hell would fill me with gratitude."
As for my daily schedule updates—they aren't excuses for writing less. I just want to clarify that I genuinely have no time to write more chapters. If I could write more, I'd wish to update ten thousand words daily, because I make a living by writing. Who wouldn't want to earn more money?
(End of Chapter)
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