Qin Yuanxi: Damn it! This guy has two faces. He was so fierce before, ready to open his mouth and shut him up, but now he’s all tender and affectionate. He could win an Oscar for this performance!
Qin Yuanxi was seething with anger inside as he glanced at Zhao Tuo. He immediately turned his face away in a fit of temper.
“What do you mean, your child? The child in my belly is, of course, mine! What does it have to do with you?”
His tone was really quite aggressive.
Qin Yuanxi felt he should control his temper. Zhao Tuo was Zhao Tuo, and Lu Bohuan was Lu Bohuan. Even though Lu Bohuan was about to open his mouth to abort the child, strictly speaking, this matter had nothing to do with Zhao Tuo. Zhao Tuo was the innocent one here. He not only didn’t know he had a child that was nearly aborted, but he also didn’t have the right to speak and was unjustly criticized by Qin Yuanxi.
It was truly a miserable situation.
But Qin Yuanxi just couldn’t control himself. Logically, he knew he shouldn’t, but emotionally, he couldn’t help it!
Especially when he saw that face, he could still recall how fierce and cold it had been before, how he had pinched his neck, forced him to take medicine, and wanted to abort his child. It was simply heinous, a series of events that led to Qin Yuanxi getting angry every time he saw Zhao Tuo.
Don’t ask why; the answer was ‘guilt by association.’ There was no reason; he just got annoyed when he saw him!
Giving Zhao Tuo a resentful look, he asked in a displeased tone, “Why are you here so late?”
It had been a long time since Zhao Tuo last appeared, and Qin Yuanxi was a bit unsure if he had any concept of the passage of time or how he had accepted his current situation. After all, from what Qin Yuanxi observed, Zhao Tuo probably didn’t know that he and Lu Bohuan were one person. Qin Yuanxi wasn’t sure how he felt about the current state. After all, there had been a long period of absence in between.
Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to accept it easily, and Qin Yuanxi didn’t know what Zhao Tuo felt.
But evidently, Zhao Tuo didn’t feel anything. It was as if the previous period of absence didn’t exist at all. He had no objections whatsoever, and everything was as plain as it could be.
“I missed you, so I came to see you,” Zhao Tuo reached out and touched Qin Yuanxi’s face, his voice slightly husky. “Is Ah Xi upset?”
Zhao Tuo was calling him ‘Ah Xi’ now, a term of endearment that Qin Yuanxi had coaxed Zhao Tuo to call him when they were outside the palace. It was a term of intimacy they had between them. After all, Zhao Tuo was quite formal, and in his heart, he was the supreme emperor. He had always been a bit reserved when handling things. It was Qin Yuanxi who coaxed him step by step, and calling him ‘Ah Xi’ started during that time.
Qin Yuanxi looked at Zhao Tuo’s eyes, which carried a hint of tenderness, and his heart gradually softened.
He moved over a bit, making room for Zhao Tuo, and pulled him onto the dragon bed. He leaned against Zhao Tuo’s shoulder.
Warm and broad shoulders were right beside him, and Qin Yuanxi felt a bit wronged.
What’s going on here?
Why is he so unlucky? Just when he wanted to start a relationship, things turned out to be so melodramatic. One moment, the child’s father wants to harm him, and the next, he’s looking at him with pity. If things continue like this, Qin Yuanxi feels like his sanity is on the verge of collapsing.
“I’m happy. I’m even happier to see you.” Qin Yuanxi playfully tapped Zhao Tuo’s head, giving him an answer.
Anyway, at least he can still see Zhao Tuo. He held Zhao Tuo’s hand and placed it on his small belly, sighing, “There’s a little baby here. I don’t know how it happened. It shouldn’t have, but it did. It’s our baby. Are you happy?”
He felt Zhao Tuo’s hand trembling for a moment, and then, without warning, Zhao Tuo pressed him against the wall and kissed him passionately.
The kiss was fierce and urgent, leaving Qin Yuanxi breathless. He clung to Zhao Tuo’s collar, like a fish washed ashore, parched, desperately needing more water.
When the kiss finally ended, Qin Yuanxi was left limp in Zhao Tuo’s arms.
He had always been the one taking the initiative, but truth be told, this was the first time Zhao Tuo had been so actively affectionate. In a different context, Qin Yuanxi would have been delighted that his wooden-faced lover had finally opened up. But now, even if he wanted to be happy, he couldn’t, not when he looked at that face.
Today, he’s opened up, but who knows who he’ll be tomorrow?
I can’t stand it!
“Happy, Ah Xi, I’m so happy, really happy.” Zhao Tuo lowered his head and kissed Qin Yuanxi’s lips again, full of tenderness. Qin Yuanxi’s heart melted like water.
“It would be nice if it was you.” Qin Yuanxi touched Zhao Tuo’s face, his eyes filled with grievance. “If you were here, it would be so much better.”
Qin Yuanxi had thought countless times that if the person he was facing was Zhao Tuo, not Lu Bohuan, the situation might be completely different. He wouldn’t be threatened to abort the child, wouldn’t be confined here, and wouldn’t suffer like he was now.
He enjoyed Zhao Tuo’s warmth but rejected Lu Bohuan’s coldness. Unfortunately, warmth was always accidental, while coldness and murderous intent were the norm.
“I’m here, always by Your Majesty’s side.” Zhao Tuo held his hand tightly and promised solemnly, “Whenever Your Majesty needs me, I’m here.”
Qin Yuanxi wanted to say, ‘I need you right now, desperately,’ but he couldn’t. Zhao Tuo knew nothing, thinking he was a normal person, but he wasn’t. He was just Lu Bohuan’s shadow, a shadow lurking in the dark, coming and going whenever it pleased Lu Bohuan.
“By the way, I have something for you.”
Seeing Zhao Tuo for a rare moment, Qin Yuanxi decided to deal with the hot potato first. The military token in his hands was far from secure; it could be used against him at any time by Lu Bohuan.
Although the military token was his symbol of affection, losing it would surely bring trouble to Prince Lu. Finding another token of affection wouldn’t be difficult, so there was no need to compete with him over the token.
Qin Yuanxi carefully hid the military token in a crevice under the bedboard of the dragon bed. After fumbling for a while, he finally retrieved it and handed it to Zhao Tuo. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, “This thing is quite important. You can keep it wherever you like; you don’t need to give it to me.”
Zhao Tuo looked at the military token that Qin Yuanxi had handed over, his expression darkening slightly. He didn’t take it and said, “This is for His Majesty.”
“I know it’s for me,” Qin Yuanxi replied. “But can’t you help me keep it for now?” He moved closer to Zhao Tuo and kissed him on the lips. “You hold onto it for the time being. It’s not convenient for me to carry it around…”
He stopped the sentence midway.
Before, when Qin Yuanxi didn’t know Zhao Tuo was Lu Bohuan, he could curse freely without any guilt. Now, looking into Zhao Tuo’s eyes, he found it hard to badmouth Prince Lu. Qin Yuanxi awkwardly stopped himself from saying more and decided to end the conversation.
However, Zhao Tuo wasn’t willing to let it go.
“He put you under house arrest!” Zhao Tuo’s voice, emphasizing each word, sounded exactly like Prince Lu, filled with coldness that cut through the winter air, chilling to the bone.
As it was the same person, their way of delivering coldness was identical. Qin Yuanxi was at a loss for words.
Zhao Tuo took the military token and his gaze turned even colder. “I won’t allow him to mistreat His Majesty.”
“You…” Qin Yuanxi was momentarily speechless. After a while, he thought of the guards outside the door and hesitated before tentatively asking, “Can you get rid of those people outside the door? Don’t let them keep me confined?”
Zhao Tuo should be able to move Lu Bohuan’s people, right? Besides, Zhao Tuo still had the military token, so it should be easy to deal with a few guards, right?
As it turned out, not only was it easy, but it also went smoothly. Zhao Tuo not only dismissed the imperial guards outside Qin Yuanxi’s sleeping chambers but also completely replaced the palace guards inside. He replaced all of Prince Lu’s trusted subordinates with a new batch of palace guards, and these individuals all held His Majesty in the highest regard, firmly supporting the emperor!
The author has something to say:
Prince Lu: I understand myself!
Zhao Tuo: …
Prince Lu: Angry to the point of vomiting blood!
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
